Matters of the Heart: Lizzie & Gordo
by Phoebe Dynamite
Summary: Lizzie and Gordo come home from Rome... what happens with their relationship? Do they take it to the next level? songfic. COMPLETED!
1. You Baby

Disclaimer: I don not own "Lizzie McGuire" or the song "You Baby" by the Mama's & the Papa's  
  
Chapter One: You Baby  
  
Lizzie went back inside the elevator, unable to lock eyes with David Gordon. What had she just done? She had kissed him. But it was just a thank you kiss. She was thanking him for being the most awesome person on the face of this planet. That was what the kiss had meant. So why didn't it feel that way?  
  
Gordo followed Lizzie McGuire into the elevator. A chorus of angels followed him into the elevator, though. At least that was what it felt and sounded like to him. He could just hear the "Alleluias" coming from their very mouths. He was floating on air. He was moving without walking.  
  
Turns out that it was just the elevator shaft going down to the first floor of the Hotel Cambini. It reached its destination all to soon for Gordo, but just at the right moment for Lizzie. Her best friend, who she had just thank you kissed, had been staring absent-mindedly into space the whole time, not in any special way, just the same as always, mouth clamped shut, dark eyes still in thought.  
  
'I hope I didn't send him the wrong signal,' Lizzie thought to herself as the doors opened. She shook her head. 'Of course I did. I kissed him for Pete's sake! What do I expect him to think?'  
  
"Gordo," she said to him, "we have to get out now." She began pulling him out of the shaft. 'Just act normal towards him, like always,' she thought. 'It will be okay if that's what you do.'  
  
"Sorry," Gordo said as soon as they were out of the elevator. "I was just a little. . . distracted." He rubbed his head full of curls nervously as he had just done on the roof after Lizzie kissed him.  
  
Lizzie bit her lip. "Well," she said. "I guess we better get back in there."  
  
"Yup," said Gordo. "The Paparazzi will want your whole life story." He paused for a moment. "If Matt hasn't done that job for you already."  
  
Lizzie's jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh! I left my weasel-headed little brother in there with a million reporters! I gotta go!" She raced down the hall to a huddle of flashbulbs going off.  
  
Gordo could only laugh. This was almost like a dream. Lizzie had kissed him. Sure, it wasn't out of love obviously, probably some sort of 'Thank you for being my best friend and supporting me and having my back' kiss. But nonetheless, it was a kiss. Her lips had touched his. If only she knew what he really thought of her.  
  
~From the time I fall asleep till the morning comes I dream about you baby~  
  
"Gordo!"  
  
Gordo looked up. There stood Kate Saunders, public enemy number one. She stood there, actually looking concerned for him and whatever the heck he was doing. He wasn't even sure. His thoughts stayed glued to Lizzie.  
  
~And I feel all right cuz I know tonight I'll be with you baby~  
  
Kate walked toward him, mumbling something about reporters and Isabella to him. He couldn't listen. He vision hazed over. Lizzie was the only thing there was to think about.  
  
~And who makes me feel like smiling when the weary day is through~  
  
"David Zephyr Gordon!" Kate shouted in his ear, shaking him wildly. "Wake up! Listen to me! The press wants a story from you about how you and Isabella saved the day!"  
  
~You baby, you. . . I'm talking 'bout you baby, nobody but you~  
  
"What Kate?" Gordo finally said, peeling her off of him.  
  
She huffed at him. About to explain everything all over again for the millionth time, she thought of something better. She smirked and said, "Lizzie just told the Italian press that you're her boyfriend and that you two are so MADLY in love that it's crazy."  
  
"What??????!!!!"  
  
Kate giggled. "Just kidding."  
  
~They say candy is sweet but it just can't compete with you baby. You've got everything I need and nobody can please like you, you baby. And who believes that my wildest dreams and my craziest schemes will come true~  
  
"It would be nice if it were true though, huh?" Kate said, being more serious this time.  
  
"What are you talking about, Kate?" Gordo said, desperately trying to hide his real feelings. "Lizzie's my best friend. That's all she'll ever be."  
  
Kate looked Gordo directly in the eye. "But that's not how you want it, is it?"  
  
Gordo looked at Kate, thinking, 'How does she. . .' then he just rolled his eyes and began walking past her.  
  
"You can't runaway from your feelings, David Gordon," Kate shouted after him. "I know you like Lizzie, maybe even more than like."  
  
Gordo stopped but restrained himself from turning around. 'Is it that obvious that I'm crazy about her?'  
  
"Is it that obvious?" he accidentally shouted.  
  
Kate smiled at his slip. "Of course it's that obvious, Gordork." He turned to face her, his face yellow. "Everyone knows just by the way you look at her."  
  
Gordo just couldn't hide it anymore. He had to confirm it. Even Ethan Craft could just guess it. He had to tell somebody, even f it was Kate Saunders.  
  
"Okay Kate," he began, walking towards her. "I like Lizzie, okay? I like her a lot. I care more about her than anyone else in the world. I wish that she was my girlfriend. But I can't tell her that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I know she doesn't feel the same way. And even if she did, we would go out and then break-up and lose our friendship. I lose her either way."  
  
Kate rolled her eyes and clutched his shoulder. "Gordo, Gordo, Gordo. Let's put the pieces together here. Remember the Murder Mystery party?"  
  
Gordo sighed. "How could I forget?"  
  
Kate continued. "Well, why do you think she gave the completely wrong answer? She obviously knew it wasn't Tudgeman, so why did she say it and let you win? She likes you too, Gordo. She's crazy about you!"  
  
Gordo just stood there, letting everything sink in. Then he finally thought of something to say. "Okay, if that's true than why did say obsess over Ethan and that Paolo guy?"  
  
Kate huffed at him. He was being so naïve. "She just figured it out! Love is blind, Gordo! Love is completely blind in this case!"  
  
Gordo couldn't take it anymore. She turned around again and stomped towards the lobby. "You're wrong, Kate. Lizzie McGuire thinks of me as a friend, and though I wish she didn't, that's how it's gonna be."  
  
~You baby, you. . . I'm talking 'bout you baby, nobody but you~  
  
Gordo walked toward the press hounds that were pouncing on Lizzie. Just seeing her smile for the cameras was enough to make him melt. He continued to watch her, listen to her laugh and talk to the reporters. Suddenly, she turned and looked directly at him, smile deepening, making Gordo's heart burst. She beckoned him over.  
  
"No, that's okay," he called, beginning to back away.  
  
Suddenly, someone pushed Gordo from behind and he found himself beside Lizzie, flashbulbs going off in his eyes.  
  
~A little ray of sunshine, a little bit of soul, add just a touch of magic. . . it's the greatest thing since rock 'n' roll~  
  
After all the photographers were done, Lizzie turned to look at Gordo. He was rubbing his eyes.  
  
"You okay?" she asked through a laugh.  
  
"Yea," he said. "Just getting used to the glitz and glamour of it all."  
  
Lizzie giggled again. Her laugh was enough to make Gordo's knees weaken, which was really bizarre for him.  
  
Lizzie noticed this. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked more seriously.  
  
"Yea," Gordo tried to reassure her. Truth was, he wasn't okay. He was in love with Lizzie McGuire, and thanks to Kate, keeping this secret from her made him sick. He could tell her anything, just not this. But he felt as if she had a right to know. Then he thought that if he told her and she maybe confessed or didn't confess the same feelings and they agreed to remain best friends, that nothing would change, he would regret telling her. No, if he did tell her, he would ask her out. If she said yes, things would be great. If she said no, he would DEFINITELY regret it.  
  
Yet he loved her and he vowed he would tell her before they left Rome.  
  
~You baby, you. . . I'm talking 'bout you baby, nobody but you~  
  
Suddenly, something inside of Gordo burst and he knew now was the moment he had been waiting for his whole life, the life that was worthless without Lizzie.  
  
"Lizzie," Gordo said to his best friend. "Can we talk? There's something I need to tell you."  
  
  
  
Hey! You like? R &R and let me know!  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	2. Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own "Lizzie McGuire" cuz if I did I'd be married to Adam Lamberg by now. I also do not own the song "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" by Britney Spears.  
  
Chapter Two: Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know  
  
Lizzie looked at Gordo. She looked at him all the time all throughout her life. But this time was different. He wasn't just Gordo, but he was "Gordo", a name that she wanted to draw little hearts around in her history notebook. Of course, that was a scary thought, but she couldn't help smiling at it. She liked Gordo, which was for certain now. She thought back to the Murder Mystery party when she suddenly became flushed and light- headed just thinking about him. She should have realized it long before then, long before now after everything he had done for her over the past week.  
  
"Lizzie," Gordo said, eyes beginning to wander from hers, "can we talk? There's something I need to tell you."  
  
'This is it,' Lizzie thought to herself. 'He's finally going to tell me what everyone lese has been telling me for weeks.'  
  
~My friends say you're so into me and that you need me desperately. They say you say we're so complete but I need to hear it straight from you if you want me to believe it's true~  
  
Gordo pulled Lizzie past Giorgio, who was shooing away Paparazzi at the front desk. They pushed open the doors of the hotel like Lizzie had been doing the entire time in Rome to be with that jerk Paolo while Gordo was covering for her.  
  
~I've been waiting for so long it hurts. I wanna hear you say the words, please~  
  
Once outside the hotel, standing in the glow of the full moon, Gordo searched for the words to say. He knew what to say but he wasn't sure exactly *how* to. Was he supposed to jump out at his best friend since birth and say, "Hey! I'm falling madly in love with you! Be my wife?" If only it were that simple. Come to think of it, it was a lot simpler when they were just friends that liked each other as "just friends." But he had always liked her from the day that they met as newborns. Like Kate said, though, love is blind. . . completely blind in this case.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo both looked around for awhile. Once in a blue moon, she would look at him and him at her and he would give her the half-smile and head nod he always gave her when there were no words.  
  
'Just do it, Gordo!' Lizzie thought impatiently. 'Just get it over with! Tell me you like me! Ask me out on a date! Say something to put me out of this misery!'  
  
~Don't, don't let me be the last to know. Don't hold back; just let it go. I need to hear you say you need me all the way. Oh, if you love me so don't let me be the last to know~  
  
"So, what do you need to talk to me about?" Lizzie finally asked, breaking the awkward silence of the night.  
  
Gordo played dumb. "Talk? About what? I thought we could just, ya know, get some fresh air."  
  
Lizzie was getting impatient. "Gordo, what is it that you need to tell me?"  
  
~Ooh, your body language says so much. Yeah, I feel it in the way you touch. But till you say the words it's not enough. C'mon and tell me you're in love, please~  
  
'C'mon Gordo, you can do it,' he thought to himself as he inched closer to Lizzie just as he did on her front porch the night he was about to ask her out. 'Just say it. It's not that hard. "Lizzie, I like you." You've only dreamt it a thousand and ten times! Just get it over with before she gets mad. Boy, is she hot when she's mad. Wait, what am I saying? Just stop thinking for once in your life and make your move.'  
  
~Don't, don't let me be the last to know. Don't hold back; just let it go. I need to hear you say you need me all the way. Oh, if you love me so don't let me be the last to know~  
  
"Lizzie," Gordo started, palms and forehead beginning to sweat like crazy, "I. . . you. . ."  
  
'C'mon Gordo! Just spit it out!'  
  
"Yea," Lizzie egged him on, trying hard not to show her impatience with his confession.  
  
~C'mon baby, c'mon darling, ooh yeah. C'mon, let me be the one. C'mon now, oh yeah~  
  
"Lizzie," Gordo began again. "I've been waiting so long just to tell you that. . ."  
  
~I need to hear you say you love me all the way and I don't wanna wait another day. I wanna feel the way you feel. Oh, c'mon~  
  
Lizzie couldn't stand it any longer. She took Gordo's face in her hands. "David Gordon, you've known me your whole life. You can tell me anything. Just let it out!"  
  
Gordo put his hands on top of hers. "Lizzie, you're beautiful."  
  
"Oh," said Lizzie, dropping her hands, letting a little more disappointment show in her voice than she had intended to. After a moment, she managed to get out a little more chipper, "Thank you. That is so sweet, Gordo."  
  
Gordo looked down and then quickly back up. "Anytime." He looked down at his watch. "Well, I'm gonna hit the hay. Long day of sight-seeing ahead." He flapped his arms at his side and sucked in some air like he always did. "Good night, Isabella."  
  
Lizzie gave a light chuckle and replied, "Good night," as Gordo opened the door and went back inside.  
  
"Great," Lizzie said to herself. After a minute of deep recollection on everything that had just happened, she got herself together and went inside, disappointment still sending waves through her.  
  
~Don't, just let me be the one. Don't hold back; just let it go. I need to hear you say you need me all the way. So baby, if you love me don't let me be the last to know~  
  
  
  
Hey! Sorry it wasn't that long but I couldn't add much more in. Gordo always backs down, doesn't he? Can anyone remember the first time he did? You get a prize if you do! lol, j/k. But I really wanna know if anyone knows. I'll give you a hint: they replayed it in the yearbook episode and it made Gordo bang his head against the railing and go "Gordo, Gordo, Gordo", which I thought was SO cute. lol  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers! Lots of love guys!  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	3. Half Life

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own "Lizzie McGuire" or the song "Half-Life" by Duncan Sheik. It's on the "What a Girl Wants" soundtrack if you want to take a listen. It's a pretty song!  
  
Chapter Three: Half-Life  
  
David Gordon woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. He pushed his curly brown locks out of his eyes and stretched. Sitting up, he looked at the digital clock on his beside table. It read 7:27. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at Ethan. His head was hanging over the side of the bed, spaghetti sauce around his open mouth. He was snoring in a nasally kind of way.  
  
Slowly getting out of bed, Gordo remembered Lizzie and the kiss on the roof last night. At first he thought it was just a dream, but then he also remembered how he had chickened out on telling her his true feelings once again. He was beginning to lose track of how many times that had happened. It seemed that last night, though, Lizzie was almost *expecting* him to profess his love.  
  
'Just have a fun day with her today,' he thought to himself as he brushed his teeth. 'Just have a good time. The time you were supposed to have before Paolo showed up.'  
  
~I'm awake in the afternoon. I fell asleep in the living room. It's just one of those moments where everything is so clear. Before the truth goes back into hiding, I wanna decide cuz it's worth deciding, wanna work on finding something more than this fear~  
  
Gordo got dressed and snuck quietly out of the hotel room. He walked down the hall to Lizzie's room and knocked quietly on the door. Muffling came from inside. Soon a half-awake Lizzie McGuire opened the door.  
  
"Hey sleepy-head," Gordo said playfully. "You gotta get dressed if you want to go sight-seeing."  
  
Lizzie opened her eyes fully. "Hey." She looked down at her sleepwear and rolled her eyes. "Oh gosh, I'm exhausted."  
  
Gordo smiled at her. "Well, this is the last day in Rome and we haven't spent one together so far so you're going sight-seeing." They shared a laugh.  
  
"Okay. I'll be out in five minutes."  
  
Gordo continued to joke around. "You? Five minutes to get ready for a full day?"  
  
Lizzie slapped his arm. "Very funny. I'll meet you on the roof in five." Then she shut the door.  
  
That left Gordo turning reluctantly making his way towards the hidden staircase that led to the rooftop. Nervousness filled his stomach.  
  
~It takes so much out of me to pretend. Tell me now, tell me how to make amends~  
  
Gordo opened the door that led to the staircase and walked up the door almost kitty-corner. Do he dare try to tell Lizzie how he felt *again*? It hadn't exactly worked out the last one hundred times. Then he remembered his vow that he would tell her before they left for Hillridge. But when and where and how? Now he knew how she and Miranda felt when they tried to talk to Ethan and just couldn't do it and he never got why. Now he knew exactly why.  
  
He soon got to the top of the stairs and opened the door, walking out into the Roman morning sunshine. He stood at the ledge, looking at the city from the very spot where Lizzie had kissed him.  
  
~Maybe I need to see the daylight, to leave behind the half-life. Don't you see I'm breaking down? Lately something here don't feel right. This is just a half-life. Is there really no escape, no escape from time of any kind~  
  
'Don't tell her now,' one side of him was saying. 'It will only lead to disaster.'  
  
'Are you crazy?' the other side was retaliating. 'You've gotta let her know! You'll never marry her if you don't get that much out of your system!'  
  
"Marry her?" he said quietly to himself in disbelief.  
  
"Marry who?"  
  
Gordo turned around.  
  
~I keep trying to understand this thing and that thing, my fellow man. I guess I'll let you know when I figure it out. But I don't mind a few mysteries. They can stay that way; it's fine by me. But you are another mystery I am missing~  
  
Lizzie stepped through the door and began walking towards Gordo, big smile on her face. His back was to her.  
  
"Marry her?" he suddenly said.  
  
"Marry who?" Lizzie said, causing him to turn around and look into her eyes.  
  
"Um, n-nobody," Gordo stuttered as she took her place next to him, folding her arms on the ledge. "I was just, ya know, thinking about. . ." he looked at Lizzie and her at him, giggles spilling out of her mouth. ". . . n-never mind."  
  
Lizzie laughed and looked out at the city. It was so beautiful and so romantic. She let out a long sigh. "I can't believe this is our last day here."  
  
"Yea," said Gordo, half-paying attention. He was distracted by the bright golden sun reflecting hints in Lizzie's eyes. It suddenly became hard for him to breathe.  
  
~It takes so much out of me to pretend. Tell me now, tell me how to makes amends~  
  
Lizzie let out another small sigh and turned to Gordo with a smile. "So, what are you going to miss the most about Rome?"  
  
'Wow,' Gordo thought. 'She's doing a really good job of pretending that nothing happened last night.' He looked down at his shaking hands. 'I'm doing a horrible job. Ugghh, I'm so pathetic.'  
  
"What am I going to miss the most?" he repeated. He thought for a moment and then rubbed his stomach. "I'm gonna miss gelato."  
  
Lizzie laughed. "What are you going to miss the most?" he asked her.  
  
She looked longing at the city. She knew she would miss this, right here what she had with Gordo on this rooftop in this city. She would miss the magic and the mystery of this place.  
  
~Maybe I need to see the daylight, to leave behind the half-life. Don't you see I'm breaking down? Lately something here don't feel right. This is just a half-life. Is there really no escape, no escape from time of any kind~  
  
"I'm going to miss everything," she finally said, looking back at him with a smile. "I'm going to miss the adventures and the excitement and the beauty." She sighed one final time and looked back at the sun. "But we have to go home sometime.'  
  
Gordo looked down at his feet and thought for a moment. Then he came up with it.  
  
He touched her arm. "Wait here. I'll be right back." He ran towards the door.  
  
"Wait, Gordo!" she called after him. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Gimme a minute!" he shouted from the stairs.  
  
~C'mon, let's fall in love. C'mon, fall in love. C'mon, let's fall in love. C'mon, let's fall in love. . . again~  
  
Lizzie waited for Gordo on the rooftop. A few minutes later he returned. She heard his footsteps on the stairs.  
  
"Close your eyes!" he shouted.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
She closed her eyes. "Okay, they're closed!"  
  
A few moments later, Gordo's voice, a lot more near, said softy, "Okay, now open them."  
  
Lizzie slowly opened her eyes and looked to down to see in Gordo's hands a snow globe. Inside was the Coliseum with glitter flying all around it. The familiar tune of "What Dreams are Made Of" played from it.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Gordo!" Lizzie exclaimed, taking the snow globe in her hand. "It's beautiful. Is it for me?"  
  
Gordo laughed. "Yea." He shrugged smugly in his Gordo-way. "I thought you might like it."  
  
"I love it!" she shouted, giving him a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You are the absolute best friend a girl could ever dream to have!"  
  
They pulled away and Gordo's face turned to bright red. "Thanks."  
  
Lizzie looked back down at the globe and began singing with the melody, "I've got somewhere I belong. I've got somebody to love." She looked up at Gordo. "This is what dreams are made of."  
  
~Maybe, I need to see the daylight. Save me from this half-life. Without you I am breaking down. Lately, something here don't feel. This is just a half-life. Let's you and I escape, escape from time of any kind~  
  
Suddenly a voice boomed from down the stairs. "Head check! Head check! Sanders, where's McGuire? Craft, where's Gordon?"  
  
"Uh-oh," Lizzie said. "We better get down there pronto."  
  
"Yea," Gordo agreed, running his hand through his hair. "I'm already on the list. And that's a place I don't want to be."  
  
Lizzie laughed and raced towards the door and down the stairs, Gordo right behind her.  
  
~C'mon, let's fall in love. C'mon, let's fall in love. C'mon, let's fall in love. C'mon, let's fall in love. . . again~  
  
  
  
Heyy! Hoped you like this chapter maybe just a little bit and I hope you check out that song sometime. It's really pretty. OO, and congrats to those who answer the question correctly. LoL. Stayed tuned for more updates.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	4. Ultimate

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lizzie McGuire" or the song "Ultimate" by Lindsay Lohan.  
  
Chapter Four: Ultimate  
  
"Okay, everyone on the bus! C'mon people, we've got seven hours to do this thing! First stop: the Coliseum!"  
  
Ms. Ungermeyer counted the kids as they got on the tour bus. Lizzie and Gordo stood at the end of the line behind Kate and Ethan.  
  
"So what are your parents doing today?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Um, just some sight-seeing I think," Lizzie answered as the line progressed forward. "I wouldn't be surprised if they followed me, though, after that whole Paolo escapade."  
  
Kate and Ethan got on the bus. Before Lizzie and Gordo could follow, Ms. Ungermeyer stopped them by stretching her American flag over the door and blowing her whistle in their ears. They shook their heads in pain.  
  
"I hope you know that I'm keeping a special eye on you two freedom fighters today," she said, giving them a harsh look. "I'll make it my personal business that you don't run into any popstars." She bopped Gordo on the head. "Fifteen!" She did the same to Lizzie. "Sixteen!"  
  
The two exchanged a look before Gordo was allowed on the bus. But Ms. Ungermeyer blockaded Lizzie.  
  
"You know, McGuire," she said, inching towards her victim, "since the whole globe saw you on T.V. last night and one of these crazy people on the street might recognize you, I hired some extra help." She pointed to a black convertible parked behind the bus. A recognizable bald, Slavic man sat behind the wheel. It was Sergei, and he smiled at Lizzie.  
  
Ms. Ungermeyer raised her flag and let Lizzie pass. "All right!" she shouted, getting on the bus. "Everyone pipe down! This is your last day of ancient cultural experience so make it count!" She took her seat beside the driver and Lizzie went to sit next to Gordo.  
  
"Hello again," said Gordo with a smile.  
  
Lizzie laughed. "Hi."  
  
The bus started moving forward through the streets of Rome. The two best friends carried on a conversation about Italian hacky-sack, which caused Gordo to make comments that caused Lizzie to laugh.  
  
'He always is able to crack me up,' Lizzie thought. 'And he's so sweet to me.'  
  
~You're the kind of friend who always bends when I'm broken like remember when you took my heart and put it back together again~  
  
Kate Sanders and Ethan Craft sat behind them. Kate watched the chemistry flow between them, non-ceasing even for a spilt second.  
  
"Look at them, Ethan," she whispered. "They're so perfect for each other and they don't even know it."  
  
"Yo, look at that!" Ethan shouted.  
  
"What?" asked Kate, quickly pulling out her video camera.  
  
"Our bus driver's famous! He's the dude on the credit card!"  
  
Kate usually would have slapped his head or something right then but instead, she did the unthinkable. . . she laughed.  
  
~I've been wasting time on clueless guys but now it's over. Let me tell you why I'm through. I've found someone new whose just like you~  
  
The bus soon stopped in front of the infamous Coliseum. The last time Lizzie got out here, she was posing as a famous Italian pop singer. Now she was just plain old Lizzie McGuire, on a trip with her school.  
  
"All right!" Ms. Ungermeyer shouted. "Everyone off the bus! C'mon people! Let's get a move on!"  
  
Once all the students were off the bus, Ms. Ungermeyer led them into the historic landmark, spewing out some facts. Lizzie turned around every once in awhile to make sure Sergei was there. Sure enough, he was always about ten feet behind.  
  
The group turned a corner into a small dark room with a narrow door at the end. "Now where we're about to go is very famous," Ms. Ungermeyer announced. "We're visiting the quarters where prisoners were kept before and after being killed out in the open arena. Now be cautious. Cats are prone to this area due to the smell of blood that still hangs in the air."  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Lizzie squealed silently. "She cannot be serious!"  
  
"Don't worry," Gordo said as the group made its way into through the door. "Spray some expensive Italian perfume and you'll be fine."  
  
Once again, he was successful at making Lizzie laugh.  
  
~You're it. You're the ultimate. It's automatic; I'm sure of it. No lie. So don't even try to tell me that you're not the guy cuz I've been waiting all my life for someone just like you. You're it. You're the ultimate. . . you~  
  
The prison quarter was dark and smelly. It was a long hallway with very small cells lining the walls. Tourists took pictures inside them as if they were prisoners. One little girl was in the middle of a Kodak moment when she hopped up from the cell and rushed towards Lizzie.  
  
"Look mum!" she shouted with a British accent. "It's her! It's Lizzie McGuire!" She pulled on Lizzie's arm. "Take a picture! Take a picture!"  
  
Lizzie was in shock. She took a Polaroid with the little girl and turned to catch up with her group.  
  
"Wait!" the girl shouted. She took the not fully developed photo and a black marker and handed them to Lizzie. "Can I *please* have your autograph? Can you make it out to Meg?"  
  
Lizzie looked over at Gordo, who stood waiting for her. He just shrugged.  
  
"Um, okay," she said, taking the items from the girl. She wrote as best she could in the dark: 'To Meg, reach for the stars and follow your dreams! All my love, Lizzie McGuire.'  
  
"Thank you, ma'am," Meg said happily. "Thank you so much!"  
  
Lizzie flashed one more smile at the girl and turned to look at Gordo. "You know, that would have been a lot more fun if it didn't smell like dead people in here."  
  
Gordo laughed and said, "C'mon. Our group's probably at the gift shop already." He took her hand and they raced down the hall.  
  
~You're the kind of guy whose hand in mine sends shivers up and down my spine. I wanna do to you what you have done to me~  
  
When Lizzie and Gordo finally caught up with their school, they were outside, climbing the "bleachers" where a Roman audience once sat.  
  
"Wanna picture?" Gordo asked Lizzie, pulling out a disposable camera.  
  
"I'm sure the press got enough of me here last night," Lizzie said, "but why not?" She stood on one of the steps and stretched out her arms. "How do I look?"  
  
Gordo looked through the camera and smiled. "Beautiful," he answered.  
  
~You're the kind of guy that blows my mind, but now it's my turn. It's been right in front of me. Everything I need why didn't I see~  
  
"Wait Gordo!" Lizzie suddenly shouted. "You have to be in the picture too! Give Kate the camera!"  
  
"Yea, let me do it," said Kate, spinning around to face them.   
  
"Okay," said Gordo, standing next to Lizzie. He smiled for the camera.  
  
"Put your arm around me," Lizzie whispered to him. When he didn't, she added, "I don't bite. I'm not Ms. Ungermeyer."  
  
Gordo stole a glance at Kate. She made face at him as if to say, 'Told ya so.'  
  
"Okay," said Gordo, slowly slipping his arm around her waist.  
  
Kate got ready for the picture. "Say pasta!"  
  
"Pasta!" the two shouted.  
  
~You're it. You're the ultimate. It's automatic; I'm sure of it. No lie. So don't even try to tell me that you're not the guy cuz I've been waiting all my life for someone just like you. You're it. You're the ultimate. . . you~  
  
Once outside the Coliseum, Ms. Ungermeyer gave the kids three minutes to take pictures. Lizzie was just standing around when she noticed a newsstand not too far away. A newspaper on the rack caught her attention. She ran over to it.  
  
"Holy. . ."  
  
Gordo saw Lizzie reading a newspaper a few feet away. He walked over to her.  
  
"What's that?" he asked.  
  
Lizzie looked up at him in disbelief. "Look at this." She held up the paper. A picture of her and Gordo sneeking out the front door of the hotel the night before was plastered across the front page. A picture of Lizzie holding Gordo's face was right below it.   
  
The headline read: ISABELLA AMERICANO NELL'AMORE!  
  
Gordo couldn't even manage words. He grabbed the paper out of Lizzie's hands and brought it back to the tour bus where the driver sat asleep in his seat.  
  
"Scusi!" Gordo shouted, knocking on his helmet through the open window. "Excuse me sir! Scusi!"  
  
The driver opened his eyes and looked at Gordo. "Si. What do you want?" he said sleepily with an Italian accent.  
  
He showed him the paper. "Can you translate the title of this for me?" He didn't even have to ask him to translate the whole article. He could just *guess* what it said.  
  
"Si," said the driver. "It says 'American Isabella in Love.'"  
  
~You're it. You're the ultimate. It's automatic; I'm sure of it. No lie. So don't even try to tell me that you're not the guy cuz I've been waiting all my life for someone just like you. You're it. You're the ultimate. . . you~  
  
  
  
Hey! You like? R & R!  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	5. The Trouble With Love Is

Disclaimer: I do not "Lizzie McGuire" or the song "The Trouble With Love Is" by Kelly Clarkson.  
  
Chapter Five: The Trouble With Love Is  
  
It couldn't have been more embarrassing. Kate grabbed a paper. Ethan grabbed a paper. Soon the whole group had grabbed one off the newsstand and were asking random people off the street to translate the article. Ms. Ungermeyer attempted to calm the madness.  
  
"People! People! This is not appropriate behavior! Put the papers back or pay for them! Stop talking to strangers, you clucks! Craft, leave that pigeon alone!"  
  
Gordo backed away from the bus and looked over at Lizzie. Her face was in her hands. He wanted to walk over there but he was too nervous. What could he say? What would he do?  
  
~Love can bring a many splendid things, barer of the joy it brings. Dozen roses, diamond rings, dreams for sale, and fairytales~  
  
Gordo had to talk to her. This whole thing was his fault in some ways. He didn't know what he would say, but he would find a way to make it better, to comfort Lizzie like he always had been able to.  
  
~It can make you hear a symphony and you just want the world to see. But like a drug that makes you blind. . . it'll fool you every time~  
  
Lizzie stood at the newsstand, hands over her face, tears spilling through her fingers. Why was this happening to her? She wasn't in love with Gordo. He was her best friend. But then she remembered the kiss on the roof and the real story behind the photos. She looked up and saw Gordo headed her way. She suddenly got really dizzy.  
  
~The trouble with love is it can tear you up inside, make your heart believe a lie. Love is stronger than your pride~  
  
Gordo stopped beside Lizzie. He wanted to say something but the words choked up in his suddenly dry mouth.  
  
~The trouble with love is it doesn't care how fast you fall and you can't refuse the call. You know, you've got no say at all~  
  
Lizzie was the first to speak. "Gordo," she said. "I am SO sorry about this."  
  
Gordo was surprised. It wasn't her doing. "Lizzie, you don't have to apologize. It's not true."  
  
'This is it, McGuire,' she thought to herself. 'This is the opportune moment to tell him the truth because he won't make the first move~  
  
"Um, actually, Gordo. . ." she began, inching towards him.  
  
~Now I was once I fool, it's true. I played the game by all the rules. Now my world's a deeper blue. I'm sadder but I'm wiser too~  
  
Suddenly, a mob of reporters rushed towards Lizzie and Gordo. They clicked away with their cameras, shouting things at them. "Lizzie!" one screamed. "Lizzie! Who is he? Are you having a secret romance?"  
  
"No!" Lizzie shouted, trying to back away from the mob. "No! This is my best friend, David Gordon! We are NOT having a secret romance! Now please, go away!"  
  
Suddenly, it was Sergei to the rescue. He pushed the reporters away.  
  
A few minutes later, the gang was back on the bus, photographers following it, snapping away. Lizzie and Gordo watched them for a moment and then turned around in their seats, relieved.  
  
~I swore I would never love again; swore my heart would never mend. Said love wasn't worth the pain. . . but then I hear it call my name~  
  
Gordo looked at Lizzie and her back at him. He gave her his tight- lip smile and head nod and she gave him her giggle. "That was interesting," she said.  
  
"Yea," said Gordo. "It was."  
  
"Count it as an adventure?" she joked.  
  
Gordo laughed lightly. "If you want. You're the star."  
  
She laughed. Gordo was getting really good at that.  
  
~The trouble with love is it can tear you up inside, make your heart believe a lie. Love is stronger than your pride~  
  
"So," Gordo continued, "what were you going to say before all that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You said 'Actually' and stopped because of the reporters." A lump formed in his throat. "What were you going to say?"  
  
~The trouble with love is it doesn't care how fast you fall and you can't refuse the call. You know, you've got no say at all~  
  
'Just tell him,' Lizzie thought. 'Look at how cute he looks right now. Aww, he's got that sleepy look. That is so adorable.'  
  
~Every time I turn around I think got it all figured out. My heart keeps on calling and I keep on falling over and over again~  
  
"Um, I was gonna say that. . ."  
  
'What is she poking at here?' Gordo thought as he waited for Lizzie to continue. 'What is she trying to say? She couldn't possibly feel the same way I do. Kate couldn't possibly be right. She is evil * and * smart, though. . . nah.'  
  
"It was nothing," Lizzie finally spat out. She looked away. "It just made a funny story is all."  
  
'Smooth move, McGuire,' she thought. 'Brilliant battle plan. Maybe you really just want him to 'fess up first.'  
  
"Oh," said Gordo, a slump in his voice. He forced a chuckle. "That is funny. You and me, a secret romance. Ha. That's a good one."  
  
~This sad story always ends the same: me standing in the pouring rain. It seems no matter what I do it tears my heart in two~  
  
The bus came to a sudden stop and Ms. Ungermeyer stood up. "Alright people, we've arrived at the ancient theatre." She looked in Lizzie and Gordo's direction. "But this time, no newspapers. This isn't a bathroom."  
  
Lizzie and Gordo glanced at each other and laughed and got off the bus with everyone else. That whole experience really was funny.  
  
~The trouble with love is it can tear you up inside, make your heart believe a lie. Love is stronger than your pride. The trouble with love is it doesn't care how fast you fall and you can't refuse the call. You know, you've got no say at all~  
  
  
  
So, was it horrible? I hope not. OO, I just read an article in In Touch magazine that Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan hate each other's guts. That made me laugh. It all started over Aaron Carter cuz he cheated on Lindsay with Hilary. It's just so funny. Whose side would you take? I would take Lindsay's, no contest. lol  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	6. Standing Still

Disclaimer: I do no own "Lizzie McGuire" or the song "Standing Still" by Jewel.  
  
Chapter Six: Standing Still  
  
Lizzie and Gordo followed the rest of their group into the hotel. They were all exhausted from a long day of sight-seeing, laughing till tears, and, for Lizzie, posing for photos and signing napkins from gelato shops.  
  
"I can't believe this is our last day here," Lizzie remarked as they climbed the stairs to their rooms. "I don't wanna leave."  
  
"It's always depressing leaving a vacation spot," Gordo said. "Then you go home and your house smells funny."  
  
Lizzie laughed. "But we were having so much fun. I just don't want to leave."  
  
Gordo and Lizzie stopped by her door. "Well, when we go home we'll have more fun."  
  
Lizzie held out her pinky. "Promise?"  
  
Gordo smiled as they linked pinkies. "Promise."  
  
Ms. Ungermeyer suddenly turned the corner, mike still on. "Gordon!" she shouted, causing him to jump. "Get to your room! Make sure Craft doesn't hurt himself."  
  
"Right away, ma'am," he answered, rushing down the hall to his room.  
  
"Jellyfish," Ms. Ungermeyer huffed under her breath.  
  
Lizzie quickly ducked into her room. She *really* didn't want to deal with her future principal now, especially since she had yet to do her report.  
  
Back in her room, the new celebrity collapsed on her bed and took in a big breath of air. All of this was like a dream.  
  
~Cutting through the darkest night are my two headlights. Try to keep it clear but I'm losing it here to the twilight~  
  
Lizzie got changed, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed. She noticed Kate had fallen asleep in her clothes. Shutting off the lights and lying down, memories of the whole trip flew by her. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized that this was her last night in Europe. The very thought overwhelmed her and a lump formed in her throat. She was having so much fun.  
  
~There's a dead end to my left; there's a burning bush to my right. You aren't in sight. You aren't in sight~  
  
'Just close your eyes, McGuire,' she thought to herself. 'Just get over it and to go sleep.'  
  
The first thing she saw in her mind's eye before she cried herself softly to sleep was Gordo.  
  
The next morning, all the kids were rushed out of their rooms in such a hurry, Lizzie barely had time to open her eyes. They were put in a single- file line in the lobby. Gordo stood behind Lizzie and Ethan behind him. He yawned, almost knocking Gordo over.  
  
"Alright folks," Ms. Ungermeyer shouted into her microphone. "Let's wake up, shall we? Our plane leaves in approximately two hours. We have to be alive because arriving back in the States, you will be SO jet-lagged that your puny bodies will barely be able to take it. Now let's get a move on." She headed out of the door, waving goodbye to Giorgio, and line processed after her slowly.  
  
Once on the bus, Lizzie leaned her head against the window, and her eyes fluttered close. The Roman sunshine on the glass reflected an orange and yellow glow on the inside of her eyelids that kept her awake as she listening to the hum of the bus.  
  
~Do you want me like I want you~  
  
When they arrived at the airport, Gordo tapped Lizzie on the shoulder. She opened her eyes, the sun filling yellow pools in her light blue eyes. She turned her head sleepily and gave him a smile. He smiled back and took her hand, saying, "C'mon, Sleeping Beauty. We're going home."  
  
Lizzie almost frowned at the mention of this, but she kept the watts in her mouth circuited and followed Gordo off the bus.  
  
It took a while to get through customs and security. Eventually, Lizzie's parents and Matt caught up with them and promised that they wouldn't sit with her on the plane. Lizzie was hoping enough of their trust in her would return before reaching Hillridge so that she might escape grounding.  
  
When they finally boarded the plane, everyone was a little more energetic. They took off, and Lizzie and Gordo started talking. They talked for hours. They talked about Rome, high school, Miranda, and Kate even joined in. Lizzie was having a blast.  
  
~Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~  
  
Time literally flew by. When they finally landed in Hillridge, it was eleven at night (A/N: I really don't know exactly what time it would be so work with me). Everyone got off the plane and met their parents at the airport. Lizzie found her mom and dad and they told her they were giving Gordo a ride home.  
  
"Go ask Kate if she needs a ride," Mrs. McGuire said to her daughter.  
  
Lizzie found Kate at baggage claim but her cousin Amy was there to pick her up, playing with her hair, cracking gum, and whining, "Hurry up, Kate! I've got a party to go to! I'm already late! I can't believe Aunt Kim made me do this."  
  
Kate rolled her eyes as she snatched up a piece of her Louis Vuitton luggage. "You didn't have to."  
  
Amy checked out her nails inattentively and answered, "I was being nice."  
  
Kate rolled her eyes again.  
  
"Um, Kate, do you want a ride?" Lizzie put in.  
  
Kate looked at Amy with disgust and smiled at Lizzie. "That's okay. I can deal with the primadonna."  
  
Lizzie smiled back. "Okay. I'll see you later." She went back over to her family and Gordo.  
  
~Boys on the stoop of a souped-up coup on this hot summer night. Between fight and flight is a blind man's sight and a choice that's right~  
  
As they drove through Hillridge, Lizzie stared out her window into the darkness of the night. The night was different here. Back in Rome, the night was filled with phantom stars that told the stories of Italian old. The sky was a navy blue, though not depressing, but tinted with deep purple and gold, like the bandana of a gypsy tied across heaven. Music and happiness and laughter escaped like the voice of a siren through the ancient alleys and the dreams of all people, no matter what race, age, gender, or religion, floated around in the heavy air.  
  
~I roll my window down. I feel like I'm gonna drown in this strange town. I feel broken down. . . I feel broken down~  
  
Soon they came to Gordo's house. Lizzie peered out at it. It was a modern- type house, a place fit for twp psychiatrists. It was not a little Roman casa, hidden among the streets and tangled into the intricate tapestry of the amazing city they had just left behind.  
  
"Well," sid Gordo, hoping out of the car, "thanks for the ride guys?"  
  
Lizzie smiled at him. She hadn't paid much attention to him on the ride home, or the entire European trip, as a matter of fact.  
  
"Prego," she said sleepily.  
  
He laughed. "Call me tomorrow? If you wake up?"  
  
"Yea, I will," Lizzie promised as she shut the door and closed hey eyes as the car drove down the street.  
  
~Do you need me like I need you? Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~  
  
When Lizzie got home, she walked through the front door and felt. . . alien, like she didn't belong. Her house was dark and felt cold. It smelled and looked abandoned. The wind outside rattled the windows with a whisper that almost sounded like, 'Rome is home. . . Rome is home.'  
  
That might have very well been true.  
  
"I'm going to bed, mom," Lizzie called to her mother, who was in the kitchen.  
  
She trudged up the stairs and into her room, collapsing on her bed. She didn't even bother to look around her room to take everything back in. It wasn't worth the pain.  
  
Then she thought of Gordo saying, "It's always hard to leave a vacation spot."  
  
It was true. Even Grubby Gulch was hard to leave.  
  
Gordo was right.  
  
As always.  
  
~Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow~  
  
That night, Lizzie dreamed that she was at the IMVAs in her graduation robe, singing 'I'm Coming Out' and dancing like an idiot. The people from 'Good Morning America' were there, taping her, and Matt and Melina were in some VIP room backstage, swimming a pile of cash. At the end of the song, Lizzie did a stage dive into all of the kids at Hillridge Junior High, all out in the audience, and everyone was screaming and cheering and clapping. They brought her back to the stage, where Paolo and Isabella were waiting for her. Suddenly, they pulled down an imaginary zipper and were Gordo and Miranda. They were cheering, too.  
  
~Do you love me like I love you? Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~  
  
When Lizzie woke up the next morning, sunlight poured in through her window. It was wasn't Roman sunlight – you could tell from the shade of yellow it was, not orange-gold. Suddenly, she smiled and sat up in bed. She reached over and grabbed her phone.  
  
She was calling Gordo.  
  
  
  
Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but I had sort of writer's block with this chapter cuz it was just a filter chapter between Roma and Home. Even though it wasn't quite L/G, I still liked that I could still do a vivid description of Rome, even though I've never been there.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	7. You and I Both

A/N: I do not own "Lizzie McGuire" (I THINK I'VE MADE THAT CLEAR) or the song "You and I Both" by Jason Mraz (this song is PERFECT)  
  
Chapter Seven: You and I Both  
  
Gordo was still sleeping when his telephone rang. He didn't really hear it. He was still dreaming. He wasn't dreaming of Lizzie, the first in a long time. He was swimming in an ocean of curly fries and Tyra Banks was serving him shrimp toast. But the phone rings were getting clearer, and he was soon awake, reaching over for his phone on his bedside table and falling out of bed.  
  
"Ow," he said. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Gordo!" Lizzie shouted on the other end. "Whatcha doing today?" she seemed rather upbeat.  
  
"I was planning on sleeping," he mumbled in am irritable voice as he rubbed the bump on his head.  
  
"Well, you have a change of plans," she squeaked. She was rummaging through her closet on the other end.  
  
"Of course I do," he said in his realistic-Gordo tone where his eyes get wide. "Why should I get to sleep just a few hours after an international flight?"  
  
"Exactly," said Lizzie, holding a pair of ripped jeans up to her and checking the look in mirror.  
  
Gordo sighed. "What do you want to do? I know you're already shifted through your Carrie Bradshaw closet."  
  
Lizzie slipped the jeans on and began looking for a shirt. "Well, I thought we might go to the Digital Bean and then Noise Candy. How bout it? I'll buy you curly fries. . ."  
  
Gordo laughed to himself. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "I've got nothing better to do anyway.  
  
"Exactly," said Lizzie, slipping on a hot pink halter that said SAGITTARIUS on it in rhinestones (A/N: I don't know her sign, so just work with me).  
  
Gordo let her voice melt in his mind like cotton candy.  
  
~Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen but not to me? Oh things are gonna happen naturally~  
  
A half hour later, Gordo was waiting at the Digital Bean for Lizzie. He was surprised she wasn't there yet. He wanted to see her. He wanted to talk to her. He needed someone. It wasn't like he didn't just see her a few hours ago, but he wanted to be hanging out with her, like old times, before she was a pop star and never fell for that a-hole (A/N: I normally would say the word but in this case I'll be clean, lol) Paolo, before she EVER kissed him. . .  
  
"Hey!" the girl behind the counter shouted. "You're that guy! The pop princess player!"  
  
Gordo looked behind him. There was no one there. He looked back at the girl. "Are you talking to me?"  
  
The girl looked surprised. "Yes, you!" She held a copy of In With Us magazine. "You're David Gordon!"  
  
Gordo didn't trust this magazine anymore than he could through it. He remembered the Italian newspaper fiasco.  
  
"Lemme see that," he said, snatching the paper.  
  
On the cover was – you guessed it – the same picture of Lizzie and Gordo sneaking out of the hotel and picture of Gordo and Isabella slipping away from her entourage at the airport. He didn't need a translation this time; the cover clearly stated:  
  
COUNTERPARTS, CURTAIN CALLS, AND A CASANOVA: How the IMVAs turned into one of the biggest stories of the year for an L.A. girl and an identical Italian popstar. PLUS: The shy guy wooing them both.  
  
"Oh, my lava lamp. . ."  
  
Suddenly, Lizzie walked in and sat down next to him. "Hey," she said, still upbeat. "Sorry I was late but I had to –" She was distracted by the magazine in Gordo's hands.  
  
"Omigosh!" the girl screamed. "You're Lizzie McGuire!" You're Lizzie McGuire!"  
  
Lizzie was suddenly barraged by a mob of people, shouting, "Lizzie! Lizzie!" It was overwhelming. She thought when she got home it wouldn't be so crazy; how many Americans watched the IMVAs? But these kids were literally attacking her.  
  
"Lizzie!" Gordo called, pulling her out of the mob. It was no use. They continued to crowd her anyway.  
  
The manager of the Digital Bean and Lizzie's old boss pushed her way through the kids. "Excuse me!" she shouted in her Dragon-boss voice. "Please, go back to your seats! Ms. McGuire is on a date!" She smiled sincerely at her former employee as the crowds departed. "I'm very sorry for that, miss."  
  
Lizzie was shocked. "Um, th-thanks," she managed. Had she just said that she was on a date?  
  
Gordo looked equally as shocked. But when the manager walked away, he opened up the magazine and wildly searched for the article.  
  
"Okay, that was weird," said Lizzie.  
  
"Yea," said her "date" in a faraway voice.  
  
"Gordo?" she said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Are you still with us?"  
  
"Yea," he repeated in the same tone.  
  
Annoyed, she grabbed the magazine out of his hands. "Let me read this."  
  
Lizzie read the article. It talked about how Paolo was a fraud and that he had tricked Lizzie into posing as Isabella to destroy her career. It gave Lizzie's life story and everything.  
  
"Wow," she said. "That's pretty cool."  
  
"Cool?" Gordo exclaimed. "It called me a Casanova!"  
  
"Well, look at it this way," she said optimisticly, "everyone will want to be your girlfriend."  
  
Gordo was suddenly uncomfortable with that statement. So did Lizzie.  
  
~And taking your advice, I'm looking on the bright side and balancing the whole thing but often times those words get tangled up in lines and the bright lights turn to night until the dawn it brings a little bird who'll sing about the magic that was you and me~  
  
"So," said Lizzie finally, "what do you want to eat?"  
  
Gordo looked down. "I'm not hungry."  
  
"Me neither."  
  
The door of the Digital Bean opened, letting a breeze in. It lifted a lock of Lizzie's yellow hair from her face. Gordo had a little trouble breathing.  
  
He cleared his throat. "So, you wanna go to Noise Candy?"  
  
Lizzie popped some gum in her mouth. "Yup," she said. She stood up and grabbed her purse. "Let's go."  
  
Gordo followed her out the door, stomach churning like a washing machine.  
  
~Cause you and I both loved what you and I spoke of. . . what you and I spoke of. . . others only dream of the love that I love~  
  
At Noise Candy, there were mostly heavy metal junkies and video game geeks, so Lizzie went unrecognized. That was a relief, because Lizzie didn't know if she liked that. Would she always be recognized? That would be the most annoying thing. She wasn't even famous – that much.  
  
Gordo was by the cash register, looking at a CD. "Lizzie!" he called. "Look at this!"  
  
Lizzie joined him. "What?"  
  
He showed her the CD. It was the IMVA CD, which was released every year with the songs that were performed. "What Dreams Are Made Of" was track one.  
  
"That's cool," she said. "I think I'll buy it." She gave it to the guy behind the counter and reached into her purse.  
  
"Allow me," said Gordo, handing the guy a twenty.  
  
"Awww, thanks, Gordo."  
  
~See I'm all about those words over numbers, unencumbered numbered words. Hundreds of pages, pages, pages forwards, more words than I had ever heard and I feel so alive~  
  
When they left Noise Candy, Gordo said that he had to go to his cousin's bar mitzvah.  
  
"You're going to meet me at Miranda's house tomorrow for her homecoming, right?" Lizzie asked him.  
  
"Of course," he answered. He turned and headed back towards his house.  
  
Lizzie opened her mouth to keep him from leaving so soon but nothing came out. Gordo wanted to stop walking but his feet automatically turned down the street.  
  
~Now you and I, you and I, not so little you and I anymore and with this silence brings a moral story, more importantly evolving is the glory of a boy~  
  
When Lizzie got home, she felt drained and confused. What was with Gordo? I mean, she figured he liked her, and she was pretty sure she liked him, but why was this affecting their friendship? Neither had confessed. Was it the kiss? It had to be. She knew she shouldn't have done it. She had made the biggest mistake of all. She had kissed he best friend.  
  
But she had liked it.  
  
~You and I both loved what you and I spoke of and others just read of and if you could see now. . . well I'm already finally out of~  
  
Back at his house, Gordo played hackysack in room, trying desperately to keep his mind off of Lizzie. It didn't work so well. When he thought of Frank Sinatra, he thought of dancing with Lizzie at the Rat Pack dance. When he thought of Dwarflord, he thought of taking her money to buy trading cards. When he thought of Miranda's eating disorder, he thought of Lizzie dancing around in his music video. Everything led him back to her. Even things that didn't have to do with her. NASA: the golden glow of the rocket fuel that matched her hair color. The ozone layer: a big hole like one of her hoop earrings. A chocolate bar: sweet, just like everything about her.  
  
But why had he acted like such a loser? He probably chased her away today. But then he remembered the promise at the Hotel Cambini. They would have a great summer.  
  
He collapsed on his bed and stared at the ceiling.  
  
He hoped they would have a great summer.  
  
~And it's okay if you have to go away. . . just remember the telephone works both ways and if I never hear it ring, if nothing else I'll think the bells inside have finally found you someone else and that's okay cause I'll remember everything you say~  
  
Gordo sat there, wishing Lizzie would call in her upbeat mood, because this time we would be nice to her and he'd make her laugh and everything would be okay.  
  
~You and I both loved what you and I spoke of and others just read of and if you could see now. . . well, I'm already out of words~  
  
Gordo almost picked up his phone and called Lizzie, but he then realized that he had nothing to say to her.  
  
For once in his life, he had nothing to say to Lizzie McGuire that could make her feel better.  
  
  
  
Hey everybody! I was just talking to my friends and we all used to be HUGE Spice Girls fans (who wasn't?) and we were acting goofy and we agreed that going to one of their concerts would be fun. LOL. Sorry, I just had to write that.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	8. I Try

A/N: I do not own – you guessed it – "Lizzie McGuire" or the song "I Try" by Macy Gray.  
  
Chapter Eight: I Try  
  
Lizzie got dressed that not morning in silence. Her mouth was dry and her lips were stuck together. She was not in a good mood. How could she be? She was upset, mostly with herself.  
  
'Why did I kiss Gordo? Why? Why? WHY? I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have, I SHOULDN'T HAVE! I destroyed our relationship. I wrecked everything. We'll never be the same.'  
  
She kept repeating that in her brain.  
  
Yet she still melted at the prospect of giving him another relationship- wrecking kiss.  
  
~Games, changes, and fears. . . when will they go from here, when will they stop~  
  
Lizzie brushed her teeth, put up her hair, and did her make-up. She looked better than she did when she woke up but she didn't feel better. She went downstairs solemnly and sat down at the breakfast table. Nothing else happened.  
  
"Lizzie?" her mother asked, placing a bowl of oatmeal in front of her. "Are you okay, sweetie?"  
  
Lizzie didn't look up. She barely was breathing. She felt like crap. Gordo was disappearing from her. She needed to see him.  
  
"I have to go," she suddenly said. She stood up and walked out the door towards Miranda's house.  
  
Gordo was waiting there already. He sat on his best friend's front porch and stared into space. Nothingness filled him. His mind was a void  
  
"I can actually feel my brain turning to goo," he recalled telling Ethan.  
  
He was more right than he thought.  
  
Lizzie was now burned in his brain. He had actually gotten up this morning and left his home on his way to her house instead of Miranda's. He couldn't fall asleep the night before. He dreamed about her when he did. He was going out of his mind. What was wrong with him? She was usually all he thought about, but this was like turning it up times a thousand. He couldn't eat or sleep. He was head-over-heels.  
  
Suddenly, a mirage of Lizzie appeared in front of him.  
  
Only it wasn't a mirage.  
  
It was her.  
  
"Hey Gordo!" she called out in an attempt to sound hyper, but her voice still shook.  
  
~I believe that fate has brought us here and we should be together but we're not~  
  
She sat down beside him. She wanted to cry. It was uncomfortable sitting next to him when she new that their friendship was over. Over, over, over.  
  
Gordo was speechless. As beautiful as she had always been, she was even more breathtaking today. He had to try not to stare and not to drool, but it was the most difficult thing he ever had to do.  
  
"So," said Lizzie awkwardly, "are you excited that Miranda is coming home?"  
  
Gordo finally woke up. "Oh, um, yeah," he stumbled over the words. "I can't wait to see her."  
  
"Me, too," Lizzie agreed, looking at her feet.  
  
~I play it off but I'm dreaming off you. . . I'll keep my cool but I'm fiendin~  
  
They sat in silence for awhile, staring at the clouds overhead, scratching dirt off the steps with their feet. Gordo was practicing self-control; Lizzie wanted to cry. A strong flow of disguised emotions came from outside the Sanchez home that morning.  
  
Finally, Lizzie thought of something to say.  
  
"So, do you miss Rome at all," she asked in an even shakier voice.  
  
Gordo didn't even notice her instability. "Yea."  
  
"I miss it really badly."  
  
He smiled at her. "Well, Isabella's there now, so that's kind of like your there."  
  
Lizzie attempted to giggle, but it failed horribly. She *felt* horrible. Now, the missing piece of her that was Rome added to her pain. Lightning bolts shot through her stomach. She winced over.  
  
"Are you okay, Lizzie?" Gordo asked, hovering over her suddenly.  
  
She tried to nod. She did. She sat back up slowly and realized that the pain was just her mind playing tricks on her. She looked up at the concerned face of Gordo and felt a heavy burden get lift off of her shoulders. Everything was clear and bright. He wasn't straying away from her. He was right here, and he cared about her.  
  
~I try to say goodbye and I choke, try to walk away and I stumble. Thought I try to hide it, it's clear, my world crumbles when you are not near~  
  
Gordo looked into Lizzie eyes. Something brightened inside of them. Her lips curled into a smile. He suddenly felt a lot better as well.  
  
But then he remembered his promise.  
  
He vowed himself he would tell Lizzie he cared about her before they left Rome.  
  
~I may appear to be free, but I'm just a prisoner of your love. I may seem alright and smile when you leave but my smiles are just a front~  
  
Gordo's face fell. So did Lizzie's. Their feelings were paralleling today.  
  
"What's the matter, Gordo?" she asked.  
  
He turned away from her. "Nothing." He wasn't about to tell her here of all places.  
  
Lizzie attempted humor. "C'mon Mr. Casanova, you can tell me."  
  
He peered at her from the corner and laughed.  
  
"Tell me," she giggled.  
  
'Should I?' Gordo asked himself. 'Will I for once not back down?'  
  
~I play it off but I'm dreaming of you. . . I'll keep my cool but I'm fiendin~  
  
"Just tell me Gordo," she persisted.  
  
He looked at her. He was drawn to her eyes. They were so beautiful. He couldn't help but give those eyes what they desired.  
  
"Well," Gordo began, "I was just thinking. . ."  
  
"What?" Lizzie egged on.  
  
"I was just gonna say that. . ."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well. . ."  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"Um. . . well. . ."  
  
"What?"  
  
~I try to say goodbye and I choke, try to walk away and I stumble. Though I try to hide it, it's clear, my world crumbles when you are not near~  
  
Suddenly, the Sanchez car turned into the driveway. It beeped at Lizzie and Gordo.  
  
Miranda hopped out of the car. "Hola!" she screamed, running to give her friends a hug.  
  
"Hey girlie!" Lizzie shouted back as they embraced.  
  
Miranda pulled back. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Miss Isabella Parigi," she said in a hyper-tone. "I saw you on the IMVAs!"  
  
"You did?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Duh!" Miranda replied excitedly. "I cant' believe you did that!"  
  
"Neither can I," Lizzie and Gordo said at the same time. The three laughed together for the first time in a long time.  
  
They went inside Miranda's house and sat in her room and talked for a long time. They conversed back and forth about Mexico and Italy.  
  
"So did sparks fly in the Eternal City?" Miranda asked at one point.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo's ears perked up at that.  
  
"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked nervously.  
  
Before Miranda could answer, Gordo stood up and shouted, "I have to go," and scrambled out the door.  
  
Lizzie didn't even bother calling after him. The hallowness from before reappeared in the pit of her Gordoless and Gordo-wanting soul.  
  
"Jeez, what's his problem?" Miranda asked. "I was just talking about you and that loser, Paolo."  
  
"Oh," said Lizzie quietly.  
  
Wrong thing to say.  
  
"What do you mean, 'Oh'?" Miranda inquired, suddenly suspicious.  
  
'Smooth,' Lizzie thought. 'Very smooth.'  
  
~Here is my confession: I may be your possession. Boy, I need your touch, your love kisses, and such. . . with all my might I try, but this I can't deny~  
  
"Okay, I'll talk." Ragmop Lizzie came out in an instant and explained the story of the heroic and sweet Gordo and had been disguising herself underneath a head of curly hair.  
  
~I play it off but I'm dreaming of you. . . I'll keep my cool but I'm fiendin~  
  
Lizzie then went into details about the kiss.  
  
"Whoa!" Miranda shouted. "Time out! He kissed you?"  
  
Lizzie gulped. "Well, actually – I kissed him." She quickly covered up for that. "But it was just a thank you kiss."  
  
"But if he's in love with you, it doesn't matter," Miranda put in. "It was a kiss."  
  
Lizzie was taken aback. "Love? No way. He *likes* me. L-I-K-E-S me. Nothing more."  
  
Miranda smirked at her best friend. "When you were going out with Ronnie, he insisted that he saw you as a friend and nothing more."  
  
Lizzie was sat down on the bed in astonishment.  
  
"Ironic, isn't it?" said Miranda.  
  
~I try to say goodbye and I choke, try to walk away and I stumble. Though I try to hide it, it's clear, my world crumbles when you are not near~  
  
  
  
Didn't feel like writing. That's why it sucks. Didn't bother to proofread.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	9. I Think I'm In Love With You

A/N: I'm not gonna even bother with the first part. . . but I do not own the song "I'm Think I'm In Love With You" by Jessica Simpson.  
  
NOTE; I have figured out that I will have twenty chapters in this stories and I picked out all the songs. The chapters can't be that long considering songs represent one emotion generally emotion (except for "Will Somebody Kill Me, Please" from "The Wedding Singer", but that's a different story, lol). A lot can't happen in one chapter because of the song, but I'll do the best that I can.  
  
ALSO, my sincerest apologies to Amber, who was NOT a Spice Girls fan and preferred Beethoven, which is okay because I personally prefer the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals to Justin Timberlake songs.  
  
Chapter Nine: I Think I'm In Love With You  
  
"Do you like Gordo?" Miranda asked Lizzie after a moment of silence.  
  
Lizzie didn't answer. She thought she was sure of the answer this morning, but now she just didn't know. He was acting strange, taking off on her all the time. That last day in Rome, he was wonderful. He held her hand in the dungeons of the Coliseum and escaped a mob of Paparazzi. He pink- promised they would have a great summer when they got back to Hillridge.  
  
He had lied.  
  
"I don't know," Lizzie finally answered, collapsing back on Miranda's bed. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I just know. I'm so confused."  
  
"They say love can do that to people," Miranda replied in a supporting tone.  
  
"Whatever," said Lizzie, pulling a pillow over her face and rolling her eyes.  
  
"Well, how do you feel?" Miranda asked in a Mrs. Dr. Gordon voice. "Is it that 'Can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of thing'?" (A/N: I stole that from "It Takes Two")  
  
Lizzie almost screamed, "No! Get off my back!" but Miranda had got her thinking. Did she really like Gordo? Before she had gone on thinking that because she knew he liked her, but did she really want to be with him?  
  
~Every time you're near, baby, I get kinda crazy in my head for you. I don't know what to do~  
  
Lizzie had never been more so confused. Did she or didn't she? She couldn't help it; she began crying hysterically, tears soaking Miranda's pillow and then coming back down into her mouth. She choked.  
  
Miranda pulled her unglued friend up by the arm.  
  
"Lizzie, get yourself together. It's just a crush. It's just Gordo."  
  
~And, oh, baby, I get kind of shaky when they mention you. I just loose my cool~  
  
"Miranda," Lizzie squeaked, burying her head in her friend's shoulder, "I'm so afraid, so, so afraid."  
  
Miranda was confused. "Afraid of what?"  
  
~My friends tell me something has come over me and I think I know what it is~  
  
Lizzie pulled herself off of Miranda. Her make-up had run and her hair was sort of messy.  
  
"Miranda," she said in a shaky voice, "I think it's more than a crush." She gulped. "I think that that was more than a kiss."  
  
Miranda tilted her head. "Meaning?"  
  
Lizzie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It took her awhile to regain herself.  
  
"I think I'm falling for Gordo, Miranda," she said worriedly as she slowly opened her eyes. "I think I may have been falling for a really long time."  
  
~I think I'm love. . . By, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been doing silly things when it comes to you. Boy, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you~  
  
Miranda stood up with a disbelieving look on her face. "I can't believe that."  
  
Lizzie collapsed back on the bed, starting to cry again. "What am I going to do?" she sobbed.  
  
Miranda was a very understanding friend, and Lizzie knew that, but she was a little preoccupied at the moment. Her best friend sat down next to her and rubbed her back comfortingly.  
  
"Lizzie, it's okay," she whispered. "You want to know what I have to say?"  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
Miranda smiled. "I think you should tell him," she said softly, one hundred percent sure of her words.  
  
Memories of Rome came flooding back to Lizzie. The pain of ditching Gordo struck like lightning in her mind, making her cry even more.  
  
~Just the other night, baby, I saw you hanging; you were with your crew. I was with mine, too. You took me by surprise when you turned and looked me in my eyes. . . Boy, you really blow my mind~  
  
Miranda picked up her phone and pushed a speed dial button.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lizzie asked her.  
  
"Calling Gordo," she replied.  
  
Lizzie lunged for the phone and hit the disconnection button right before Gordo picked up.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" her friend asked, peeling her off the phone.  
  
Lizzie sat back and rubbed her head, trying desperately to hold back tears. She didn't want to cry anymore. "I don't know," she whispered, falling back onto the bed with a loss of energy.  
  
~I don't know what's got into me, but I think I know what it is~  
  
Miranda had had enough.  
  
"Lizzie!" she screamed. "This is so stupid! When you think about it, it doesn't make sense. There's no reason you should be crying."  
  
Lizzie got up and began towards the door. She had had enough. She was going home and cuddling with Mr. Snuggles until the rest of forever was over.  
  
"C'mon Lizzie, don't leave," Miranda called after her. "I didn't mean it offensively."  
  
~I think I'm love. . . By, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been doing silly things when it comes to you. Boy, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you~  
  
Lizzie almost walked out the door, but she stopped Miranda was right. Why was she crying? It was so silly. Alright, maybe she was in love with Gordo. Good for her. That's just dandy. So now what? More tears? Nope. There was no reason for that, just like Miranda had said. She had fallen in love with the most wonderful guy on the planet and she was okay with that. Whoopdee freaking doo.  
  
~I think I'm love. . . By, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been doing silly things when it comes to you. Boy, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you~  
  
Lizzie turned back and looked sincerely Miranda.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miranda. I don't know why I'm acting like this. It's stupid." She wiped a tear from her eye. "You're right."  
  
Miranda smiled triumphantly. "I know."  
  
Lizzie giggled. She was glad Miranda was back. She needed a girl best friend again. Miranda was the only one who could fill that role.  
  
"So, what now?" Miranda asked Lizzie.  
  
Lizzie thought for a moment and then came up with something. She ran from the room, screaming a goodbye to Miranda and telling her she'd call her later. She ran out of the room and down the street, ignoring a few cars beeping at her, carrying passengers shouting, "Lizzie! Lizzie!" out their windows. She had a destination in mind. She got there without even thinking about it.  
  
~Something strange has come over me. . . going out of my mind. . . never met a guy like you before. . . you make me feel special inside~  
  
Lizzie rang the Gordon's doorbell. She waited impatiently but excitedly for someone – hopefully Gordo – to open the door. She knew exactly what she would do.  
  
~I think I'm love. . . By, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been doing silly things when it comes to you. Boy, I think that I'm in love with you. I've been telling all my friends what I feel for you~  
  
  
  
Not proofread. Sorry if it sucks.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	10. Wrong Impression

A/N: I do not own the song "Wrong Impression" by Natalie Imbruglia.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Chapter Ten: Wrong Impression  
  
The doorbell rang. Gordo ran to get it. "Coming!" he shouted.  
  
He opened the door.  
  
"Lizzie," he said. He smiled. "What's up? Come in."  
  
Lizzie scratched the back of her neck. "Um, actually Gordo, I was wondering if we could talk." She shook her head and laughed at herself. "I mean, we could talk inside, too. It makes no difference to me."  
  
"Okay," said Gordo. "Wanna go up in my room?"  
  
There was a glimmer in her eye as she carefully planned out what she going to do. "Sure."  
  
Gordo let Lizzie in and they went upstairs. Lizzie smiled as they walked through the halls. The smell of this house was as familiar to her as the smell of her own house. It smelled like Mr. Dr. Gordon's pipe smoke (A/N: Mr. Dr. and Mrs. Dr. is to determine who is who) and the chi Mrs. Dr. Gordon lit to help her patients clear their minds. Lizzie sucked in the scent, which was a peculiar one indeed, but it was so comforting to her.  
  
They entered Gordo's room. He sat down at his desk, she on his bed. By that time, Lizzie had everything planned at ready. She would attack. No prisoners.  
  
~Calling out, calling out, haven't you wondered why I'm always alone when you're in my dreams~  
  
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Gordo asked in the calm, collected way that he hadn't been able to use with Lizzie in a long time. It somehow came easy at the moment.  
  
Lizzie picked up a hackysack ball on the bedside table and tossed to Gordo in a friendly way. "Well, I don't know how to approach it."  
  
Gordo began hitting it with the instep of his feet. "Shoot."  
  
Lizzie bit her lip sideways until it hurt. She went over her battle plan again slowly in her mind's eye.  
  
"First off," she said cautiously, picking up rubix cube (A/N: or however it's spelled) off the floor and playing with it, trying to act casual, "why did you walk out of Miranda's house that quickly?"  
  
Gordo looked up at Lizzie, eyes strained. The hackysack ball fell to the floor. He stiffened up. Panic rushed through him. The casual style of talk that had resurrected a second ago evaporated again.  
  
~Calling out, calling out, haven't you wondered why you're finding it hard just looking at me~  
  
"Oh," he got out through a tight mouth. "That."  
  
Lizzie looked at the floor. 'Don't back down; be upfront,' she told herself. She took a deep breath.  
  
"Did it have anything to do with the kiss?" she asked in one swift breath.  
  
~I want you but I want you to understand I leave you. . . I love you~  
  
Gordo's breath caught in his throat. He stuttered. "I. . . uh. . . you. . . um, Rome. . . well, uh. . . kiss. . ."  
  
~Didn't want to leave you with the wrong impression. Didn't want to leave you with my last confession of love~  
  
Lizzie took another breath. She was ready. She had been ready for a long time.  
  
"Gordo, did that kiss mean anything to you at all?"  
  
Gordo looked down at the ground. "Sorta," he mumbled.  
  
"Sorta?" she repeated in a loud tone, egging him on. "Just sorta?"  
  
A lump formed in Gordo's throat. "Well, I mean, sure, it was nice. But, you know, it didn't mean anything."  
  
Lizzie stood up. "Didn't mean anything to me or didn't mean anything to you?"  
  
Gordo looked up into Lizzie's eyes, realizing what she had just said had never occurred to him.  
  
~Wasn't trying to pull you in the wrong direction. All I wanna do is try and make a connection of love~  
  
"Did it mean something to *you*?" Lizzie asked, guessing the answer but not sure how it would come out or even if it would come out at all. Gordo was infamous for backing down from expressing his feelings.  
  
"Sorta," Gordo repeated, standing up, playing with his hands like he always did when he tried to get something out of his system. He moved in closer to Lizzie's face.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked him.  
  
"Your mascara is all smudged," he answered, taking her hand and pulling her into his bathroom. "I'll help you get it off."  
  
He dabbed a washcloth underneath the running faucet, turned it off, and rubbed underneath her eye, unaware that she needed makeup remover.  
  
"So," he asked slowly and insecurely, "did the kiss mean anything to you?" He leaned back and looked sincerely – not desperate or hopeful, just sincere and patient and understanding like always – into her eyes.  
  
~Falling out, falling out, haven't you wondered if this was ever more than a crazy idea~  
  
Lizzie tilted her head and took Gordo's hand with the washcloth in it. She made it brush underneath her eye again. "Maybe," she said in a faraway voice.  
  
Gordo tried to read her eyes. They had a vacuous look to them, not the dreamy kind, just glazy. She rubbed her fingers against his index finger as she continued to move his hand. Neither said anything. Just silence.  
  
Finally Lizzie asked in a soft tone, "Is it off?"  
  
Gordo pulled his hand away slowly and answered, "No." Her leaned back on his heels and just stared into her eyes.  
  
~Falling out, falling out, haven't you wondered what we could've been if you'd only let me in~  
  
"That kiss was just a thank you kiss," she said, again taking his hand and doing the same thing. "At least, that's what I thought. And the second I did it, it all changed. It was, I don't know, magic."  
  
Gordo took the washcloth and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. His hand froze behind her ear. He felt naked, as if Lizzie could see right through him.  
  
~I want you but I want you to understand I miss you. . . I love you~  
  
"Well, you're a good kisser," he said in an even, low tone but with his Gordo sense of humor behind it.  
  
Lizzie giggled. "Really?"  
  
Gordo laughed, too. "Yea, and you're not the only girl I've ever kissed."  
  
Lizzie cupped her hand over his, still behind her ear. "And that puts me at the top of a list of what, two?"  
  
They both laughed. Suddenly, music started coming from the living room. It was "Have I Told You Lately," the Drs. Gordon's wedding song. Lizzie and Gordo smiled at each other.  
  
~Didn't want to leave you with the wrong impression. Didn't want to leave you with my last confession of love. Wasn't trying to pull you in the wrong direction. All I wanna do is try and make a connection of love~  
  
They just stood there smiling for a while, his hand and the wet washcloth in hers behind her ear. Then came Lizzie's favorite part of the song: "*Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's no one above you?*"  
  
Suddenly but slowly, as if time was standing still, Gordo leaned in and kissed her. It was the most refreshing and waited-for moment of both of their lives. To Gordo, he had just confessed to her his feelings, and in a way better than he ever could have planned.  
  
Lizzie kissed him back. This wasn't her original battle plan; it was even better. For once, things evened out. Their feelings were mutual.  
  
~I need you. . . I love you~  
  
  
  
Hey everyone! Sorry that that was so short and that it might have sucked a little. Also, sorry I haven't updated in a while but I was on vacation. While I was there, though, I was struck by inspiration for the sequel and actually began writing it. I want to get done this one fast now (it might be 19 chapters because I screwed up with the songs and stuff). But you know notebook drafts always suck, but I have most of the songs.  
  
And to anyway who read "She's a Fox, Alright" (much love to you, btw) I made a mistake with Kathleen's mother's name, which was Cecilia, not Susan. Oh well. She's Amara Susan Fox, end of story.  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers, especially guitarplayingirl. Peace girl.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
(* Goddess4LiFe 


	11. Head Over Feet

A/N: I do not own the song "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morissette.  
  
Chapter Eleven: First Date  
  
Gordo picked up a comb and twirled it in between his fingers. To brush his hair, or to not brush his hair? That is the question. He had never brushed it before. Why should he? There was no point in starting now. But tonight was a special occasion, he reminded himself. Tonight he had a date.  
  
Just yesterday, he and Lizzie had hooked up in, of all places, his bathroom. Then he asked if she wanted to have lunch with him at the Digital Bean today. It was just like they did when they were friends, except now they were more.  
  
_-I had no choice but to hear you. You stated your case time and again. I thought about it-_  
  
Gordo just let his hair be and brushed his teeth. He had taken his parent's Rod Stewart CD and kept playing "Have I Told You Lately" over and over again. It was his new favorite song. It would remind him of Lizzie for the rest of eternity. As he put his toothbrush down, her favorite part came on. He grabbed his comb and sang along into it as if it were a microphone (A/N: remind you of anyone? ;) ).  
  
"Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's no one above you?"  
  
"David!" his mother called from downstairs. "You have to go!"  
  
-_You treat me like I'm a princess. I'm not used to liking that. You ask how my day was_-  
  
Gordo rushed out of his room and got to the bottom of the stairs before he realized that he wasn't wearing shoes. He ran back up to get his sneakers and ran through his mother's office.  
  
"Bye mom!" he said as he rushed past.  
  
"David, wait!"  
  
Gordo slowly turned around. He hadn't told his mom about him and Lizzie. He hadn't told either of his parents. And Lizzie definitely hadn't told hers yet. The only other person that knew was Miranda, who was, surprising enough to Gordo, thrilled about it. He thought maybe she would have reservations because it would affect their friendship, but she was really happy for them.  
  
"She's your lobster," she had told Gordo (A/N: That's from the prom video episode of "Friends," if anyone saw it. I can't believe it's over! -starts sobbing hysterically- anyway. . .).  
  
"David," Roberta Gordon said to her son, "it's just you three, right?"  
  
Gordo got nervous. It was just Lizzie and him. "Uh, yea, us three. The three amigos: Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda. The same as always."  
  
Lucky for Gordo, his mother's phone rang. When she went to get it, he breathed a sigh of relief, thanked his lucky stars, and ran out the front door.  
  
-_You've already won me over in spite of me and don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet_-  
  
It was a warm afternoon. The weather in Los Angeles was really hot around this time, right before July, and it only got hotter. As Gordo walked down the street, he tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. He rubbed his head full of curls, embarrassed, and kept walking, really, _really_ fast  
  
-_Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it; it's all your fault_-  
  
Lizzie waited impatiently at the Digital Bean. She played with her pointy hunk of broken plastic on her charm bracelet. She felt like puking. Was this the right thing to do? She _did_ want to be with him, but would this take a toll on everything they had and turn everything sour? She really, desperately hoped not. That was the absolute last thing she wanted a result of this date to be.  
  
She began to squirm in her seat. The waitress approached her with a big smile and a virgin Shirley Temple.  
  
"Um, I didn't order this," Lizzie said to her in the most together way possible.  
  
"Oh, I know," the waitress squealed, hands shaking, almost spilling the drink. "This is from the staff. It's on the house."  
  
Lizzie was surprised. Celebrity perks? "Oh. Um, thanks." She smiled graciously and took the drink closer to her as the waitress wandered over to a group of waitresses giggling in the corner (one which Lizzie and Gordo ran into the day before).  
  
Lizzie looked at her watch. She sighed. Time rolled by. She took a sip of her drink. It was really good. Five minutes went by. Another sip. Still good. Six minutes. Eight minutes. Thirteen minutes. Twenty minutes. Where was Gordo?  
  
Gordo stood in the Digital Bean doorway, panting heavily, heart beating, palms sweating. He paced in the small space, "Have I Told You Lately" now annoying stuck in his head. He had been standing there for about twenty-five minutes. He was too nervous to actually go sit down with Lizzie. But he couldn't hark there forever. She would get up to leave eventually (he was surprised she hadn't already), thinking Gordo had stood her up, and she would run into him. He doubted she would sit down for a date after that.  
  
"The Reason" began playing. Gordo rubbed his throbbing temples and gulped. He looked over at Lizzie painfully. He looked so upset, and he knew she probably felt foolish. H had caused her to feel that way too many times. Now it killed him.  
  
-_Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole. You're so much braver than I gave you credit for. That's not lip service_-  
  
A whole half hour had gone by. Lizzie sighed and took one last sip of her Shirley Temple before pulling a five out of her wallet and putting it on the counter. She straightened out her skirt and pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes. She headed towards the exit, heart-broken. Gordo had stood her up.  
  
-_You've already won me over in spite of me and don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet_-  
  
Lizzie walked out of the Digital Bean. The sun was burning. Lizzie immediately took off her denim jacket and tied it around her waist. She walked towards home, a deep gash of emptiness in her heart. After going through the Cupid's impossible obstacles of love, they finally made it too this point. And what happened? Her worst fear: it didn't work out. How would this affect their friendship? Probably dramatically.  
  
"Great," Lizzie huffed to herself as she crossed the street.  
  
The scariest part?  
  
She still was crushing on him.  
  
Stuff like that just doesn't go away that fast.  
  
-_Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it; it's all your fault_-  
  
Gordo sat on Miranda's bed, a billion thoughts racing through his brain. He felt so incredibly guilty for standing up Lizzie, for leaving her sitting alone for a half hour when they could have been on a date. Now he completely ruined the friendship.  
  
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself," Miranda commanded, entering the room with a giant plate of curly fries. "You were too nervous to go through with it."  
  
Gordo looked down at the food and felt like vomiting. "True, but I shouldn't have stood her up. I mean, we kissed yesterday. She knows how I feel now. Our friendship is gone."  
  
"Gordo, that's not true," Miranda retaliated, shoving three fries in her mouth. "You guys have known each other since you were born. You've been through heaven and hell. She'd never let your friendship be destroyed. She couldn't even if she wanted to, which she doesn't."  
  
Gordo shook his head. "That's why I didn't want to get into this in the first place. If something went bad in the relationship, our friendship would never be the same, whether we wanted to or not."  
  
"But there never _was_ a relationship," Miranda replied. "You didn't even give it a chance."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes and collapsed on the bed. "I know."  
  
-_You are the bearer of unconditional things. You held your breath and the door for me. Thanks for your patience_-  
  
Lizzie got home and ran upstairs so her mother wouldn't see her. She had only shed a few heartfelt tears, but they ruined her make-up anyway. She slipped off her flip-flops, ran into the bathroom, and stared at her pathetic reflection in the mirror. She titled her head, pushed back her hair, and let out a high note:  
  
"I've got somewhere I belong. I've got somebody to love. This is what dreams are made of."  
  
-_You're the best listener I've ever met. You're my best friend, best friend with benefits. What took me so long?-_  
  
"So, whatcha gonna do?" Miranda asked, smearing a curly fry in almost- gone ketchup.  
  
Gordo let out a long breath and shook his head for the thousandth time that day. "I have _no clue_."  
  
"Well get one, Gordon!" Miranda shouted. "This is _Lizzie_ we're talking about. Lizzie! You're totally crazy for her, as a best and friend _and_ a girlfriend, and for the first time ever, you don't have a clue!" She waved her arms in the air. "Time timing, Romeo!"  
  
Gordo let out another long breath and looked down at his watch. "I better go." He stood up and headed for the door.  
  
"You better be going to Lizzie's house," Miranda called out.  
  
Gordo stopped himself in the doorway. He knew she was right. This was unfair to him and to Lizzie. Their love deserved a chance. They deserved a chance. And Lizzie deserved an explanation.  
  
_-I've never felt this healthy before. I've never wanted anything rational. I'm aware now... I'm aware now-  
_  
Lizzie was watching fighting with Matt for the remote when the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it!" Mrs. McGuire shouted, rushing past her kids, adding, "Stop that, you two," as she went.  
  
Gordo stood outside the McGuire house, breathing heavily, going up and down on his heels. There was no turning back now. Yesterday was just the starting gun. Now he was off and running. No turning back.  
  
Mrs. McGuire opened the door. When she saw their visitor, she smiled. "Hello Gordo." She moved out of the way to let him in. "C'mon in. Lizzie's in the living room."  
  
At the sound of her name, Lizzie gave up the fight (leaving Matt to do a victory dance) and walked into the foyer. There stood Gordo, looking like completely guilty and feeling two feet tall. When Lizzie saw him, her mouth fell open slightly and her hand grabbed in the inside of the other arm's elbow, like she always did.  
  
Mrs. McGuire, oblivious as always, just smiled and walked into the kitchen. Lizzie just stared at Gordo as his eyes fell to the floor.  
  
'Just kill me now,' Gordo thought to himself. 'Just get it over with.'  
  
"So," Lizzie finally said, "where we you today?" She made a sincere face at him.  
  
Gordo looked up into her sad eyes and felt that two feet tall was about two feet taller than he really was.  
  
"Lizzie," he began after taking a deep breath, "I am truly sorry for today. I was there, I really was, but I was standing in the doorway, just watching you and feeling like the worst person in the whole world because I was too afraid to be with you."  
  
"Wait, you were too afraid to be with me?" Lizzie asked, hurt seeping inside. "I thought you wanted to be with me. I thought you wanted us to be together." She put her hands on his shaking shoulders.  
  
Gordo tried to explain it better. "No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was..." He stopped himself, defeated.  
  
"You were nervous," Lizzie said quietly, eyes falling to the ground.  
  
"Yea," Gordo replied. "I was."  
  
"I was to, Gordo," Lizzie said, anger rising in her voice. "But I still showed up. I was still willing to go through with it."  
  
Gordo felt like crud. What could he do now? One look into her bright blue eyes, hiding the soul of the girl whose heart he had crushed, and he knew he couldn't give up. They were off and running.  
  
"Are you still willing to go through with it?" he asked, a glimmer a hope in his whispering voice.  
  
Lizzie was surprised by the question. She looked at him. "Are you?"  
  
"Yea," Gordo answered, looking into her eyes. "I really want to."  
  
_-You've already won me over in spite of me and don't be alarmed if I fall haed over feet. Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it; it's all your fault-_

  
  
Hey everybody! Sorry for all the late updatings. But now that school is done, I can update a lot more. I'll be updating this and "Whole Lotta Living" (read it!!! lol) Oh, btw, I was actually going to use the song "First Date" by Blink-182 for this chapter, but that would have sucked, so I used this. It's on the CD "Jagged Little Pill," which is kinda old, but really good.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
Goddess4LiFe 


	12. Waiting for You

A/N: I do not own the song "Waiting for You" by Seal.  
  
- - -  
  
**Chapter Twelve: Waiting For You  
**  
- - -  
  
When Lizzie got to the Digital Bean the next day, Gordo was already. She stopped herself in the doorway upon seeing him sitting there, breath catching in her chest. She was ten minutes early. Who knows how early he had gotten there. It suddenly became very obvious to Lizzie that Gordo would make a great boyfriend and always had the ability. After all, she would know (Ronnie Jacobs was forgettable but what about Frankie Muniz?).  
  
Gordo sat at the counter of the Digital Bean, just as Lizzie had yesterday. He was in his favorite bowling-style tee and his hair was just loose, no combing. Lizzie had told him this would be a casual date. He still knew that she would show up in something that looked like came out of Jennifer Lopez's closet, but that was something he loved about her. She cared very much about the impression she left on people and in places.  
  
Lizzie finally walked into the hang-out, something Gordo hadn't been able to do yesterday. She walked right up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around. She smiled. So far so good.  
  
Gordo had never seen her look so beautiful before. Her hair was blown straight and streaked very light orange. She wore a pale pink Burberry halter top and a khaki skirt. She smiled at him as if nothing else in the world existed and that she had waited so long to finally get to this point.  
  
_-Everyday, a shade of blue... you won't believe what I'm going through-_  
  
Neither had said anything yet. Finally, Lizzie said, "Hey." She sat down beside him.  
  
Gordo got himself out of his trance. "Hey." He gulped as he looked her up and down again. He shook his head in shock. "You look..." Their eyes met and the word came to his fluttering mind. "...perfect."  
  
Lizzie could feel his cheeks turn red. "Thanks," she replied. She looked down at her charm bracelet and played with it for a second before shooting her head back up.  
  
"I love that shirt," she commented. "It's my favorite of yours. But the collar is sticking up." Before Gordo could fix it himself, Lizzie reached in and did it for him.  
  
'Scented soap,' Gordo thought to himself dreamily, the scent still lingering around him long after her task was done.  
  
_-It just feels like I can't afford to let myself go, no, oh-  
_  
'Oh, Gordo looks so adorable right now,' Lizzie thought to herself. 'Look at his messy hair and his cute clothes and those dreamy eyes...'  
  
"What would you like, guys?" Lizzie thoughts were interrupted by the waitress, which, luckily, wasn't the one from yesterday or the day before. She wasn't fawning over them. Lizzie said a silent prayer of thanks. Maybe not everyone recognized her.  
  
"Um, I'll have a BLT and a small salad with thousand island dressing," Lizzie answered (A/N: I assume they have that there, right? I all I know is that they have fries).  
  
"Alright, and to drink?"  
  
"A Shirley Temple." It was really good yesterday, despite the bitter taste of heartbreak that had gone along with it.  
  
"Okay, and for you?" she asked, turning to Gordo.  
  
"Um, a BLT sounds good for me, too. Oh, and I large order of curly fries with a Dr. Pepper."  
  
"Alright, they'll be right out." The waitress walked away, leaving them alone again.  
  
_-Everyone is just the same: they touch me but I can't say...-_  
  
"You know," Gordo said, looking around the Digital Bean, "I would have brought you to a more romantic place than this."  
  
Lizzie giggled. "Why? Are you looking for romance?"  
  
Now it was Gordo's turn to blush. He looked down at the ground, hidden beneath a mass of curls.  
  
Lizzie didn't want the conversation to end there. "This just fine, you know. I like their BLTS and salads and Shirley Temples a lot."  
  
Gordo looked up at her, into her bright blue eyes, and got lost in everything about her that her loved. He lost all self-doubt and was ready to start this thing with her, no matter how big or small it would end up being, because he had dreamed of it for so long. He had dreamed of her for so long.  
  
_-There has been no one brighter than you. I can't deny these things that I do. It feels like the world's at stake 'cause I have been waiting, I have been waiting for you-  
_  
"Lizzie," Gordo said without his voice trembling at all, "do you have any idea how long I've wanted to be with you?"  
  
Lizzie was completely thrown by the question. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Ironically, the song "You Took the Words Right Out of my Mouth" started to play and Gordo took his cue from the song. He leaned in and kissed her, no longer than she had kissed him on the roof of the Hotel Cambini in Rome.  
  
_-Heavenly is what you are. You're burning me like a shining star-_  
  
When Gordo pulled away, Lizzie was completely mesmerized. Her just stared at him, eyes kind of vacuous. She could hear her heart beat fast. Her chest heaved in and out (A/N: If you've seen "You've Got Mail" – my favorite film – you know what I'm talking about. It looks like the part where Joe had his hand on Kathleen's mouth and when he took them away, she heaving uncontrollably if you look. Just wanted to point it out! I'll be going now...)  
  
"I'm sorry," Gordo mumbled, embarrassed, looking down again. All his confidence was once again washed out by doubt and anxiety.  
  
Lizzie shook her head and got out of the dreamland she was floating around in.  
  
"No, Gordo. That was..." He looked up at her and she found the same word he had used, "...amazing."  
  
Slowly, a smile crept across both of their faces as their drinks were set in front of them. They both mumbled thanks to the waitress, eyes glued to each other.  
  
_-How how am I supposed to be the king without you? Oh, it's true-  
_  
They drank their drinks in silence. At a point, Lizzie kicked Gordo under the table. He looked at her with a confused look and she just winked at me.  
  
'Holy crap,' Gordo thought, catching her drift. 'She's playing footsie.'  
  
He wasn't about to leave her hanging, so he kicked her right back and they embarked on the roughest but subtlest game of the footsie in the history of teenage dating.  
  
_-Everyone is just the same: they love my but I can't say...-_  
  
Soon the waitress brought out their food and they ate. They carried on a conversation about really nothing at all, just little comments like, "My gosh, Lizzie, you eat like a pig," as she stuffed a piece of BLT in her mouth. She would shove him and they both would laugh. Secretly, they were both relieved that this was just like being friends, but something just made it... better.  
  
_-There has been no one brighter than you. I can't deny these things that I do. It feels like the world's at stake 'cause I have been waiting, I have been waiting for you-  
_  
By the time they finished their food, Lizzie was anxious to see what would happen next.  
  
"Well, I'm done," Lizzie announced, taking one last bite of her salad.  
  
"Me, too," Gordo replied. He had already paid so they stood up and headed for the exit. Unfortunately, as soon as they walked out the door, they were rushed by a mob of reporters and photographers, clicking away at the couple.  
  
"Lizzie!" one reporter shouted. "Tell us who he is!"  
  
Lizzie looked down and saw that she and Gordo were holding hands. Gordo noticed, too.  
  
Oops.  
  
Lizzie looked at the reporters with her 'Oh my God! What do I do?' face. "Um, I, um..."  
  
Gordo to the rescue. "My name is David Gordon!" he shouted as all the reporters hurried to right it down. "Most people call me Gordo. I'm 14-years-old and going into ninth grade at Hillridge High School this fall. I'm an aspiring director." After finishing that statement, he pulled Lizzie away from the crowd and they ran down the street.  
  
Eventually, the reporters, who were chasing them, gave up, and Lizzie and Gordo stopped to catch their breath in the park.  
  
Despite panting, Lizzie looked at Gordo and said, "I can't believe you did that for me."  
  
Gordo just smiled at her. "Why not? I've done everything for you. This was nothing."  
  
Lizzie gasped. He was absolutely right, like always. He had done everything in his power for her, including trying to help her get Ethan Craft to ask her out.  
  
Upon realizing this, Lizzie threw her arms around him and kissed, long and passionately. After the element of shock passed from his brain, Gordo kissed her right back.  
  
_-Hey, yeah.... There has been no one brighter than you. I can't deny these things that I do. Feels like the world's at sake 'cause I have been waiting, I have been waiting for you-  
_  
When Lizzie got home that afternoon, she ran right past her mother and upstairs into her room. She closed her door and slid down it. That was one of the best days of her life.  
  
_-I_ _have seen no light brighter than you. I can't deny things that I do. Feels like the world's at stake, yeah. I have been waiting, I have been waiting for you-  
_  
'I have to call Miranda,' Lizzie thought suddenly. She reached for the phone when all of the sudden, it rang. She jumped, but then answered it.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Lizzie," a familiar voice said on the other end. "It's so good to hear your voice."  
  
Lizzie's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe whose voice she heard.  
  
_-Everyday I sit down and I feel like I'm waiting for you... I've been waiting for you-_

Hey! This is sorta npr. Sorry for babbling on about "You've Got Mail." What can I say? Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have excellent chemistry. I guess that's what three films together prove, huh. Anyway, I might not make a sequel even though I really wanna. Nobody reads this story, so who would read the sequel?  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
Goddess4LiFe  
  
P.S. Read my story on fictionpress called "Children of the Bloody Dove." I'm actually proud of it! It's under the penname, well, you know. =) 


	13. Landslide

A/N: I do not own the song "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks.  
  
- - -  
  
Chapter Thirteen: Landslide  
  
- - -  
  
Sing.  
  
Isabella Parigi had called Lizzie up on the phone and asked her to come to Rome.  
  
To sing.  
  
Lizzie sat in her room, thinking. What would she do? She promised Isabella she'd think about it, but that seemed useless. Thinking didn't always help Elizabeth Brooke McGuire. Her thoughts could get so scrambled sometimes that the pressure of it was almost unbearable. After hanging up with Isabella, she felt like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.  
  
_-I took my love and I took it down. I climbed a mountain and I turned around-_  
  
Did she want to go? She did miss Rome. Everything about that city made her feel magical, and she wanted to be able to be a part of it again. But wanting to go back was not a good enough reason to say yes to a full- fledge singing career.  
  
Did she want a singing career? Sort of. This was an opportunity most people only dreamed about, and here it was, being offered to her on a silver platter. Isabella told her that big European executives had seen Lizzie sing and were interested. They wanted her to come over to Italy and do a tour in August with Isabella.  
  
A big part of Lizzie was saying, 'Yes. Go.' But a whole other part was saying, 'No way. If you do this, you'll never have a normal life again. You'll always be chased by Paparazzi and landing on the covers of tabloids. Is it really worth it?'  
  
And what about Gordo? How could she possibly spend the rest of the summer away form him? They were a couple now, and she really, truly cared about him. What would she do? She couldn't just go away just as their relationship began. It was crazy, selfish, and awful.  
  
But what could she do? This was the opportunity of a lifetime.  
  
'First I have to talk to my parents,' Lizzie thought. 'Then I'll talk to Gordo.'  
  
Lizzie got up off her bed and went to open her door, when it slowly opened from the other side. Matt leaned against the doorway, a sly, mischievous grin on his face.  
  
Lizzie was annoyed. She didn't have time for him. "What do you want, flee-bitten worm?"  
  
"Oh, nothing at all, my darling sister," Matt said, pushing his way into the room slowly. "You've given me all the information I need."  
  
Lizzie knew something was up. "What did you do?" She grabbed him by collar and pulled his face to hers.  
  
"There's no need to tell mom and dad about your little long-distance phone conversation," Matt said, ignoring her question. His grin grew eviler. "They already know."  
  
At first, Lizzie didn't know what he was talking about. Then it hit her. She released him abruptly.  
  
"How do they..." she shouted. Her mouth stayed open for a moment. "You listened to my phone conversation! You little weasel!"  
  
"Lizzie!" shouted her mother, walking into the room, her husband behind her. "Leave Matt alone." Jo McGuire took a long, hard look at her daughter. "Were you going to tell us about this?"  
  
"Yes!" Lizzie answered angrily. "It only happened, like, five minutes ago!"  
  
"Lizzie," said Sam in his fatherly (but clueless) voice, "calm down. Just tell us exactly what happened."  
  
Behind their parents, Matt was slinking out of the room, laughing hysterically without making a sound. That didn't help, though, because Jo knew her son better.  
  
"Hold it, Matt," she said without turning around.  
  
He immediately stopped, but then ran out of the room after a second. Sam and Jo just sighed.  
  
"Now, honey," said Jo in her nurturing voice, sitting down on Lizzie's bed, "tell us what happened."  
  
Lizzie joined her mother on the bed, but as she had her mouth open to say something, Matt poked his head back in the room and said in a phony Italian accent, "Isabella made her an offer she couldn't refuse."  
  
"Out Matt!" the other three shouted at the same time, and Matt ran again.  
  
"Okay," Lizzie began, taking a deep breath, ready to spill everything, "Isabella just called me and told about this tour in Europe in August. These record company guys are interested in me and want me to duet with her on it."  
  
Sam seemed confused. "And that's it? That's all they want you for?"  
  
"Well, not exactly," Lizzie continued. "She mentioned this little thing about a record deal if it all goes well."  
  
Lizzie waited for the worst then. She waited for her parents to unleash their wrath and spew 'no's' all over the place. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to go, but they would say no no matter what.  
  
_-And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills, a landslide brought me down-_  
  
To Lizzie's surprise though, Jo just gave a somewhat shocked smile and said, "Well, that's interesting."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, honey, do you want to do it?" Sam asked.  
  
Lizzie just sat there for a moment, mouth opened, unable to say anything. All she could think was, 'Who are you and what have you done with my parents?'  
  
"Um, I don't know," she finally got out. "I mean, it really is a big deal. If I got a record deal, that would mean no normal high school, no normal life... no normal anything." Lizzie sighed. "That's a lot to think about."  
  
"Well, of course it is sweetie," said Jo, putting her arms around her daughter. "It's a big decision. It's a step into the adult world at age fourteen."  
  
"I know," Lizzie replied, pulling away. "That's why I don't know what I'm going to do yet."  
  
_-Oh, mirror in the sky... what is love? Can the child in my heart rise above?-  
_  
"When does Isabella need an answer?" Sam asked.  
  
"By this Friday," Lizzie answered, looking down at the floor.  
  
"Well, you think about it hun," said Jo comfortingly, kissing her daughter on the forehead. "And then we'll talk about it more."  
  
"Okay," said Lizzie, feeling a little better. She stood up. "I have to go talk to Gordo."  
  
"You two have certainly been seeing a lot of each other lately," Jo commented as Lizzie exited the room.  
  
"He's my best friend, mom," Lizzie called back as she rushed down the stairs, glad her lying had gotten superbly better while in Rome. She might have been ready to take on the music world, but she wasn't ready to tell her parents about her and Gordo.  
  
'No way,' she thought as she walked down in the street in the early afternoon sun.  
  
_-Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?-_  
  
It was a warm day. The birds flew over Lizzie's head and in the direction she was going. Her heartbeat was normal, but she could almost hear it in her ears. What would she tell him? That encouraging talk with her folks had kind of made her excited to say yes. It would be cool, after all, going on tour in Italy with Isabella, greeting thousands of screaming fans every night, visiting fabulous and beautiful cities. By the time she got to Gordo's house, she had a big smile on her face just thinking about it.  
  
'Maybe I already made my decision,' she thought. She walked across the Gordons' perfectly-cut lawn. 'And after all, I could say no to the record deal after the tour. I have a lot of time to think about that aspect.' She rang the doorbell of the modern home.  
  
Her decision seemed made, but how would she tell Gordo. Would he be supportive? He always had, but they were a couple now. She wanted to be with him, too.  
  
_-Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I build my life around you-_  
  
Gordo opened the door. When he saw Lizzie, he smiled. "Hey," he said cheerfully. "C'mon in."  
  
Lizzie smile back at him. The distinctive smell of the Gordon house greeted her as she walked in.  
  
"What's up?" Gordo asked as they walked into the living room, so different from Lizzie's.  
  
Lizzie sat down on the couch. Now she was nervous. She looked at Gordo.  
  
"Um, there's something I gotta talk to you about."  
  
"What?" he asked, sitting down next to her.  
  
Lizzie didn't know how to say it. How would he react? Would he be upset? She hoped not. She was upset herself. She had known Gordo forever. He had always been her best friend, and now he was more.  
  
_-Time makes you bolder. Children get older. I'm getting older, too-_  
  
"Well," she began, "Isabella called today..." and she told him the whole story. Once it was all explained, she sat back, took a breath, and waited for her boyfriend's (A/N: sounds weird, don't it? Her boyfriend, Gordo. Heehee... anyway...) response.  
  
"Wow," said Gordo in an emotionless voice. "That's really... cool, I guess."  
  
Lizzie's face fell. "You don't want me to go, do you?"  
  
"Well, yes," he said, not much happier. "You should definitely go. It's the chance of a lifetime."  
  
"That's what I keep telling myself."  
  
"Than go."  
  
"But you don't want me to."  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"No you don't."  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"But you don't sound very supportive."  
  
"I am supportive."  
  
"You don't sound it."  
  
"But I am."  
  
"But you don't sound it."  
  
"But _I am_."  
  
Lizzie finally gave up. This was pointless. She stood up. "You don't have to get angry, you know."  
  
"I'm not!" Gordo shouted, frustrated. "I just want you to know that I'm supportive."  
  
Lizzie crossed her arms in front of her chest. "We'll be apart for the rest of the summer." She looked down, sad. "You said we'd have a great summer together. You promised."  
  
Gordo looked down too. "I did, didn't I?"  
  
Lizzie sat back down again, suddenly very sad. "Yea."  
  
_-Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you-  
_  
"Wait a minute!" Lizzie shouted. "Maybe you could come, too! You could make a documentary! Wouldn't that be great! We could be together!"  
  
Gordo did not share in her joy. He just kept his eyes down.  
  
"There's something you have to tell me, isn't there?" Lizzie asked quietly.  
  
Gordo nodded.  
  
_-Time makes you bolder, even children get older. I'm getting older, too... Oh, I'm getting older, too-_  
  
"My grandma just called," he said, still unable to look up. "When she was here to visit, we had talked about this trip across America during my summer vacation. Well, now it is summer vacation, and she wants us to go."  
  
A pain shot through Lizzie's heart. "Oh."  
  
"So I'd be going away," he said.  
  
"Wait," said Lizzie. "You told her yes already. You didn't say 'I'll get back to you'? You do have a girlfriend, you know, one you promised you spend the summer with."  
  
Gordo shot his eyes back up. "Wait, it's okay for you to have a place to go in summer, but not me?"  
  
"No," she answered angrily. "But at least I told Isabella I didn't have an answer yet."  
  
"And why's that?" he asked. "Because it might interfere with your precious start-over plan for high school?"  
  
Lizzie gasped. Had Gordo really said that to her? That had really stung. Gordo closed his eyes and shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lizzie," he said quickly. "I didn't mean..."  
  
"I'll stop you right there, Gordo," she said, standing up and backing out of the room slowly. "In fact, I'll stop us right there." She shook her head. "The one real reason I told Isabella maybe is because I wanted to wait and see what you said about it. But you just said a mouthful." She sighed. "Maybe this just can't work out. Maybe it never was supposed to."  
  
Gordo couldn't believe what he was hearing. His heart was breaking inside. It was over? After one day? That was it?  
  
'Good job, Gordo,' he thought to himself. 'Real smooth.'  
  
"You know what," Lizzie said, an edge in her voice, "I'm going with Isabella. Have a nice summer."  
  
She turned and ran, tears welling up in her eyes. She ran out of the house and down the street. Gordo called after her. She ignored him. How selfish could he be? She had considered his feelings, so why didn't he consider hers?  
  
As she turned onto her street, Lizzie suddenly realized something.  
  
She had dumped Gordo.  
  
"Oh my gosh," she whispered, hands over mouth. She stood there for a moment, shell-shocked.  
  
'I have to get home,' she thought, beginning to run again. 'I have to tell mom and dad what I'm doing and lie under my covers with Mr. Snuggles. That's it. Then I'll call Isabella back and give her my answer. I'll forget all about that stupid Gordo and his stupid summer plans. I'll forget all about this tiny fling and about kissing him. It never happened. I never, ever kissed David Zephyr Gordon and he never kissed me. That's that."  
  
_-Take my love and take it down. Climb a mountain and turn around. And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills, will a landslide bring you down? And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills, a landslide bring you down? Oh, a landslide bring you down...-_  
  
  
  
Hey! Sorry about the two-week delay, but I was on vacation. Now I'm back. YAY! Anyway, I know that chapter fully lacks any good writing skill, but my shoulder is KILLING me and I just want to get the typing over with. Also, you may have noticed that last chapter, Gordo said Lizzie looked perfect and then when he kissed her, I said she used the word he had used, which I thought was amazing, but it wasn't. Oops. Even goddesses make mistakes I guess.  
  
Oh, one last tidbit: does anyone like Meat Loaf (the singer, not the food)? Just wondering, because I think Bat Out of Hell is an ingenious album. Oh crud. I'm rambling on again. Just like You've Got Mail (or "Just like Pootytang", if anyone saw Scary Movie 3). Ahhh! I must stop myself.  
  
NPR!!!!!  
  
Peace flower children.  
  
Keep it heavenly,  
  
Goddess4LiFe


	14. Stranded

A/N: I do not own the song "Stranded" by Plumb (it was in the movie "Drive Me Crazy", another one where your root for the enemies to GET TOGETHER ALREADY! -clears throat- Moving on...)  
  
- - -  
  
**Chapter Fourteen: Stranded**  
  
- - -  
  
Gordo didn't know who else to turn to. Obviously, he couldn't talk to his first choice, Lizzie, who had stormed out of his house after one teensy argument and breaking it off after a day – count it, one day – of going out  
  
He went straight to Miranda's house.  
  
When Gordo got there, they went up to Miranda's room. Gordo didn't know what to say, how to explain it. That was it. Miranda had said to give their relationship a chance, which is what they gave it, and Gordo ruined it by acting selfish.  
  
"How was your date?" Miranda asked, sitting on her leopard-print carpet while Gordo sat on her bed, as if he was telling her a story.  
  
"Okay, I guess," Gordo answered quietly, rubbing his head of curls.  
  
"That's it?" she said, shaking her head disbelievingly. "That's all ya got for me? 'Okay, I guess'? That's lame, Gordo!" She grabbed a pillow off of her bed and whacked him in the head with it.  
  
Gordo was unfazed. He was too heartbroken too feel anything except, well... heartbroken. Being more than friends with Lizzie was like this mental butterfly (something his parents might say) that had, for one, single, shining, solitary moment perched itself on his arms, and after all the times he had almost caught it, he actually did catch it, and it broke free.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Miranda asked her friend. "I haven't seen you this bummed since you stood her up." A thought dawned on Miranda. "Something happened with you and Lizzie, didn't it?"  
  
Gordo nodded slowly, ashamed.  
  
"What happened, Rico Suave?" she asked sympathetically, sitting beside her friend, putting her arm around him.  
  
"Lizzie didn't call you?" Gordo asked, a bit surprised.  
  
"Nope," Miranda answered. "Haven't heard from her all day."  
  
Gordo rubbed his forehead. "Figures. She has quite a few reasons to be preoccupied today."  
  
Miranda turned Gordo to face her. "Spill."  
  
Gordo began the story off with their date. He went into detail about how beautiful Lizzie looked. Miranda said that that was nice that he noticed her and all, but that was not a key point in the story.  
  
'Not to you maybe,' thought Gordo, 'but it's how I get up in the morning.'  
  
He continued. He told her about the kisses and the park and then feeling like things had gone really well. Then he told how about the two phone calls. He and Lizzie both got one. His was from his grandma. She brought up the offer for the road trip cross-country that they had talked about before. Gordo thought, 'Why not?' and said yes. Turns out that Lizzie's phone call was even bigger, and that she came over to his house and told him about Isabella calling and the tour and giving her a maybe. Then he had to explain – in depth, of course, this was Miranda – the fight and Lizzie telling him it was over and everything.  
  
By the time Gordo got done explaining it, he was out of breath. Miranda just sat back, mouth hanging slightly open.  
  
"You're over?" she exclaimed. "After one day, that's it?"  
  
It was the horrible, ugly truth that kept revealing itself to Gordo. "Yep," he said, falling back on the bed.  
  
"But you've been trying to get her to go out with you for, like, _ever_!" she retaliated. "And don't deny it! Everyone else in the school knew. The way you looked at her was a dead-giveaway."  
  
Gordo sat back up. "Why does everyone keep saying that to me?"  
  
Miranda looked at him like he was stupid (A/N: and let's face it, most boys are, especially in a situation like this). "Because it's true!"  
  
"How do I look at her?" he asked.  
  
"I can't do it," Miranda spat back. "It's like, I don't know, so genuine that it's almost... wistful."  
  
Gordo raised his eyebrow. "Wistful."  
  
"Yea," said Miranda. "And even I didn't notice it until you guys started going out, maybe because I'm your best friend, but that's not the point..."  
  
"See!" Gordo shouted. "You didn't notice it, so maybe I don't do it!"  
  
"Why are you denying you ever had feelings for her?" Miranda shouted. "We all know you did. You know you did. And Lizzie may have been clueless to your stares and everything else, but she probably knows it now to."  
  
Gordo felt like gagging. It was all true. He had always had feelings for her, and up until she started dating Ronnie Jacobs, even he hadn't realized them. But sometimes they suffocated him in his sleep, or when he saw her smiling at him in the hallway in school. He was totally in love with her, and he had crushed her feelings.  
  
"I'm a big loser, aren't I?" Gordo stated after that moment of reflection.  
  
"Yea," Miranda replied.  
  
_-You know it only breaks my heart to see you standing in the dark alone, waiting there for me to come back-_  
  
"Are you sure you want to go?" Jo McGuire asked her daughter.  
  
Lizzie nodded, trying to stop tears from coming up. The last thing see needed her mother to see right now was her crying.  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
Jo gave Lizzie an understanding smile, though she sensed something was wrong. She kissed her forehead. "Why don't you call Isabella back, and then you can start packing?" she suggested.  
  
Lizzie nodded. "Kay."  
  
Jo smiled again and left her daughter's bedroom, thinking she heard her sniffle, but she told herself to keep on walking. If Lizzie had a problem, she would come to her eventually. She always did.  
  
Lizzie picked up her phone. Her hands trembled. She took a piece of paper out of her bedside table drawer and held it up. It had Isabella's cell phone number on it. She started to dial after taking a deep breath. She pressed the wrong button. She tried again. This time she got it right. On the end, Isabella's phone rang... and rang... and rang. With each ring, Lizzie heart pounded louder. She was open to hang up when she heard:  
  
"Lizzie! Ciao bella!"  
  
_-I'm too afraid to show...-_  
  
"How can I fix this?" Gordo asked Miranda.  
  
"Don't go with your grandma," she answered without hesitation.  
  
"I can't do that," he replied.  
  
"Why not?" she asked.  
  
"Have you ever cancelled on your grandma?"  
  
"No," Miranda answered, "but the living one always thinks I'm my Tio Jose (A/N: Uncle Joseph for non-Spanish speakers), so I've never come up against that problem."  
  
Gordo just rolled his eyes. Miranda was not the easiest person to talk to. She was making him feel like a jerk when Lizzie had already begun that process.  
  
"Why did you tell your grandma yes without consulting Lizzie anyway?" she asked him. "That was a stupid move."  
  
"It's not like we're married," Gordo replied. "She could have said yes to Isabella without talking to me about that."  
  
"You wouldn't have gotten mad?" Miranda asked, surprised by the responses coming from her best friend's mouth.  
  
"Well..." Gordo began. Would he have? Probably. More sad at the fact that she was leaving than at the fact that she didn't consult with him. No she was going, and he might have been able to change that, but it was too late. He had blown everything.  
  
_-If it's coming over you like it's coming over me. I'm crashing like a tidal wave that drags me out to sea-_  
  
"It was a selfish thing to do, you know," Miranda commented.  
  
Now Gordo was mad. He was tired of hearing how wrong he had been by agreeing to go somewhere with his grandmother.  
  
"Selfish?! Me?!!" he shouted, standing up. "The last thing I've ever been around Lizzie is selfish! I covered for her while she was out breaking my heart with a jackass, I saved her butt from international humiliation, got myself kicked off a school trip, got in a bad spot with the one person that could send me to an Ivy League university, and have been nothing but supportive while she was drooling over Ethan Craft and Ronnie Jacobs and Frankie Muniz and caring endlessly what people thought of her while I always thought she was perfect and she didn't give a flying freight in space what I thought!!"  
  
- - -  
  
"Grazie, Lizzie!" Isabella shouted on the other end. "This is fantastico! See you in a few days! Ciao sorella!"  
  
Lizzie said bye back and hung up the phone. Her stomach had never been in so many knots. She was officially going on tour with Isabella. It was a done deal. She would be flying out in two days for rehearsals. Her parents and Matt were coming too. But there was one person that wouldn't be there that she wanted there the most.  
  
''Maybe I should call Gordo,' she thought. She shook her head miserably. 'What could I say to him? I just dumped him! We were so afraid of having a relationship and hurting one another and affecting our friendship and I just ended it for a stupid reason!'  
  
She dove straight down into her pillow, tears forming unwillingly in her eyes.  
  
_-And I wanna be with you and you wanna be with me. I'm crashing like a tidal wave, and I don't want to be stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded-_  
  
"You are so right, Gordo," Miranda said after a moment of silence. "You've always put her first."  
  
Gordo nodded. "Always."  
  
"Then go get her back!" Miranda exclaimed, an encouraging smile on face. "Tell her you're sorry." She paused for a moment. "You are sorry, right?"  
  
"Of course I am," he answered.  
  
"Then go!" she shouted. "Don't let her slip away!"  
  
Gordo felt a smile form on his face, but he stopped himself, coming again against the face of reality. "What if she doesn't take me back?"  
  
Miranda hit him on the head. "Now's not the time to be pessimistic. Go get your girlfriend back!"  
  
Gordo smiled. "Thanks Miranda," he said, feeling better. He gave her a hug. "I'll do it. I'll get her back."  
  
"That's my boy," she said happily. "Now go!" And Gordo ran out the door. (A/N: Corny, yes, but it builds up momentum and, in Gordo's case, excitement)  
  
- - -  
  
In ten minutes, Lizzie had packed an entire suitcase full of clothes. It was time to move on to body products, then jewelry. Doing this had taken her mind off Gordo. She rambled through her sock drawer – also a haven for things that didn't have place yet (meaning that's where they stayed) – Lizzie saw it. The CD Gordo burned for her. It had "Have I Told You Lately" on it. All she could picture when she heard the tune in her head was her and Gordo in his bathroom, wet cloth in hand, kissing to that song. Her eyes began to burn again.  
  
_-I take only take so much. These tears are turning me to rust. I know you're waiting there for me to come back-_  
  
She couldn't believe she had been so dumb. Dumping Gordo for something as stupid as him making a decision without her? That made absolutely no sense. They had just had gone on, no more than a half hour before, a perfect date, and then a stupid little thing about the summer. Sure, that promise that he made was no big deal at the time, not even a real promise, but Lizzie wanted to have this one season of freedom with him. When that promise was made, they weren't even dating yet! They were just friends.  
  
'Maybe that's the way it should be,' Lizzie thought suddenly. 'Maybe all Gordo and I are meant to be is friends. There's nothing wrong with that. That's what we've always been. That's what I'm comfortable with. Sure, no more kissing, but I can live with that. We'll just be friends. It still doesn't change the fact that we'll be away from each other during the summer, but it sure makes me feel a whole lot better.'  
  
_-I'm too afraid to show...-_  
  
Suddenly, something hit Lizzie's bedroom window. She jumped, and then it came again. What was it? Again. She went to the window and looked down.  
  
Gordo was throwing stones at her window.  
  
At first Lizzie thought, 'Awww! How romantic!' but then she remembered that romance would no longer be associated in the way she thought of Gordo. She opened her window.  
  
"Lizzie!" Gordo shouted from her lawn. "Lizzie! Can we talk?"  
  
"Sure!" she called back down, hoping her parents wouldn't hear her. "I'll go down there!" That was better than talking about whatever they had gone through and were about to go through.  
  
Before Gordo had time to say anything, Lizzie snuck out of her room and crept down the stairs. She met Gordo in her front lawn.  
  
They approached each other. Both were nervous. What would they say? Gordo knew what he wanted to say, but he suddenly felt all tongue-tied. He looked at Lizzie. He could tell she had been crying. It killed him inside to think that he was maybe the cause of her pain.  
  
Lizzie knew what she wanted to say, too. They would just be friends. She hoped he'd be cool. As they came closer, though, she found it harder to look at him. She thought of kissing him. She thought of their date. She thought of how she had given him a second chance. She thought of how she liked calling herself his girlfriend.  
  
Suddenly, telling Gordo that she wanted them to just be friends didn't make her feel any better.  
  
_-If it's coming over you like it's coming over me. I'm crashing like a tidal wave that drags me out to sea-_  
  
"Hey," Gordo finally said.  
  
"Hey," she replied.  
  
There was a long silence after that. Gordo wanted to just come out and say, "Lizzie, I'm sorry," but he couldn't. He had just stood there and kept his feelings inside.  
  
Gordo the chicken was ready to lose another cock fight.  
  
'Why isn't he saying anything?' Lizzie thought nervously. 'Why did he come? Oh, gosh, just kill me now. I have no idea what to do. I thought I wanted us to be friends again, but that doesn't seem right at all.'  
  
_-And I wanna be with you and you wanna be with me. I'm crashing like a tidal wave, and I don't want to be stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded-_  
  
"Lizzie, I'm so sorry," Gordo finally blurted out. "I really am. I shouldn't have told my grandma yes right away."  
  
Lizzie was surprised... and also relieved. Now she could talk.  
  
"I'm sorry, too, Gordo," she said. "I got all mad at you for no reason."  
  
"You had every right to be mad at me," Gordo said, inching closer towards her. "I should have consulted with you before I went and changed our plans."  
  
"Well, I was about to change our plans, anyway," Lizzie replied, looking down at the ground. "I was going to go with Isabella and I am now."  
  
That was the last thing Gordo wanted to hear. Sure, he was going away, but Lizzie was going to Europe as a pop star, where she would meet other pop stars that would probably sweep her off her feet.  
  
When Gordo said nothing else, Lizzie added, "But I still don't know about the record deal yet."  
  
"Oh, right, the record deal," Gordo said under his breath.  
  
"What is your problem?" Lizzie asked. "You said you were supportive of me. You know you don't have to lie to me. Remember that thing you said back in Rome?"  
  
"Oh great," Gordo said. "Another stupid thing I said in Rome."  
  
Tears welled up in Lizzie's eyes. Had he really just said that? Since when had Gordo become such an insensitive jerk?  
  
"You said, 'You had it in you all the time'," she choked out through tears. "And now what? The tank's running on empty? What explanation do you have? Why can't you just support your girlfriend?"  
  
"You're not my girlfriend," Gordo mumbled.  
  
A terrible pain ran through Lizzie's heart. He didn't come here to take her back. Why was he here then?  
  
"Just leave," Lizzie commanded in a shaky voice. She pointed toward the road. "Get out of my life."  
  
Gordo just stood there dumbstruck for a moment, but then he slowly began to walk. Had he really just said those awful things to her? He could here her front door slam shut. His heart was breaking. Why had he acted like that? He had apologized, but that had done no good. He wanted to win her back, but instead he pushed her away even more. He was jealous of her. He was jealous she was going on tour. He was jealous of all the guys he knew she'd meet. Without him there, Gordo would just become a little footnote in her story. He would be nothing to her.  
  
"Great."  
  
_-I miss you, I need you. Without you, I'm stranded. I love you so come back-_  
  
Lizzie threw herself down on her bed. She had never cried so hard. Tears choked her. Again, the fight had a stupid reasoning behind it, he had said things that had really hurt her feelings.  
  
'Forget about him,' she thought. 'He's a jerk. Just cut him loose.'  
  
Still she cried.  
  
_-I'm not afraid to show...-_  
  
Night came quickly. Lizzie didn't speak at her house. Gordo didn't speak at his. Silence filled their minds and pain filled their hearts.  
  
_-If it's coming over you like it's coming over me. I'm crashing like a tidal wave that drags me out to sea. And I wanna be with you and you wanna be with me. I'm crashing like a tidal wave, and I don't want to be stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded...so baby come back-_  
  
  
  
Hey everybody! Hoped you liked this chapter. I know you're probably upset with me because 1) Lizzie and Gordo are getting into really stupid fights and 2) You probably don't know most of the songs I'm picking. Sorry! Oh, and a head's up: there will be songs for the next few chapters. (  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
Goddess4LiFe 


	15. Fall to Pieces

A/N: I do not own the song "Fall to Pieces" by Avril Lavigne, which I only heard yesterday and I LOVE! I serious recommend a listen.  
  
- - -  
  
**Chapter Fifteen: Fall to Pieces  
**  
- - -  
  
That night, Lizzie couldn't sleep. At least she had stopped crying. Her mom had come up at a point in the night and asked her what was wrong. She just said she and Gordo had a big fight. That was true, but she left out the 'dated for one day' part. She was pretending it never happened. Like something you do in Vegas.  
  
She was mostly packed by nightfall. She watched some TV and listened to her Paolo and Isabella CD. She took a shower, hoping everything that had happened would wash away. Her worst fear had come true, after all: messed up the "relationship", friendship down the toilet.  
  
When she finally climbed into bed, Lizzie realized she had never called Miranda and told her about the whole ordeal. If her mind wasn't a total train wreck, she would never left her out of the dark like this.  
  
'It's too late to go over to her house,' Lizzie thought. 'I'll just call her.' She picked up her phone and pushed Miranda's speed dial number.  
  
Miranda had just gotten out of the shower when her phone rang. She hoped it was Gordo, calling to tell her how everything had gone. She picked it up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Lizzie was so relieved to hear Miranda's voice.  
  
"Miranda, it's Lizzie. Were you sleeping?"  
  
Miranda was surprised to hear her best friend's voice on the other end. "Hey chica. No, I'm awake. What's up?"  
  
Lizzie took a deep breath. This would take a lot of explaining. She didn't even know where to start.  
  
Luckily, Miranda started for her. "Is this about you and Gordo breaking up?"  
  
Lizzie was surprised. "Um, yea. How did you know about that."  
  
"You may have not told me about it," she replied, "but Gordo came over here this afternoon and spilled the whole thing." She paused. "Major bummer."  
  
Lizzie felt like throw-up was crawling up her throat. "Oh, yea." She rolled her eyes. "It's too bad the situation just got one million times worse!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Miranda asked, surprised by the comment. Didn't Gordo fix everything? Didn't he apologize and get her back?  
  
"We got into another argument," Lizzie said. "It was so stupid. He made some ridiculous comment about the record deal and I got mad and then... oh, I don't know... I went back to things he said in Rome. Why am I obsessing over Rome! Why?!"  
  
"Chill, girl!" Miranda said. "I don't know! I wasn't even there!"  
  
There was a moment of silence. Lizzie tried to figure it out. Why was she so bent on what he had said in Rome? Why was he so sad that she was leaving? Would he have acted this way if they had just been friends when all this happened? She didn't think so. If anyone knew Gordo, Lizzie did. There was a certain reason he was acting this way.  
  
'And if I wasn't so stupid,' Lizzie thought, 'we could have stayed together and we could've worked it out.'  
  
"Do you regret dumping him?" Miranda asked suddenly.  
  
Lizzie didn't say anything. That was enough of an answer.  
  
_-I looked away then I looked back at you. You tried to say things that you can't undo-  
_  
"Whatcha gonna do?" Miranda asked.  
  
Lizzie sighed. "I have no idea."  
  
"Are you going to even attempt to get him back?" she asked, her tone less than eager, more like exhausted.  
  
"What's the point?" said Lizzie, throwing her pillow across the room. "It would be so awkward. He's keeping something from me, I know it."  
  
"Want me to pry?" Miranda offered.  
  
Lizzie sunk onto the floor. "No, but thanks anyway. I'll figure this out."  
  
_-If I had my way, I'd never get over you. Today's the day I pray that we make it through-_  
  
"I have to go," said Miranda. "We should hang out tomorrow before you leave."  
  
"Okay," said Lizzie miserably, climbing back into bed and shutting off the light. She knew it would be so different without Gordo. Dating him was a mistake. They ruined their friendship. They'd never be able to get back what they had before all of this muck. She wanted to dismiss everything she was feeling at that moment, but she couldn't.  
  
She still felt something for Gordo.  
  
She just didn't know what.  
  
_-Make it through the fall... make it through at all-_  
  
After the two girls hung up, Lizzie decided she would try to sleep as best she could. She put her mind on something else, hoping her dreams would emphasize on whatever topic it would be. Anything but Gordo. She thought of the tour, but that made her think of Gordo. She wondered if he was sleeping well, or sleeping at all. After all, he was the one who had had strong feelings longer than her, right?  
  
Just then Lizzie realized something. 'Have I always liked Gordo, secretly, deep-down?' She remembered crushing on him in the fourth grade, but that was just a crush, the little bug everyone passed along. That was nothing.  
  
This was much deeper, and might have always been.  
  
_-I don't want to fall to pieces. I just want to sit and stare at you. I don't want to talk about it-  
_  
Eventually, Lizzie fell asleep. Lucky for her, she dreamed about nothing. It was just like a giant blank screen that played in her mind's eye all night. She felt nothing in her sleep, which, as she considered, was better than feeling pain deep within the dungeons of a nightmare. Nothingness consumed her, and she was fine with that. Just as long as she didn't have to cry anymore. She was probably dry.  
  
_-I don't want a conversation. I just want to cry in front of you. I don't want to talk about it 'cause I'm in love with you-  
_  
Gordo wasn't sleeping well. Unlike Lizzie's blank screen, he got a full-fledge, Hollywood-bred, horror flick in an IMAX theater. He dreamed he was standing in the middle of the Coliseum, dressed in his gladiator armor, ready to fight. The Roman crowd cheered, ready to see bloodshed. When the gate was lifted at the opposite end of the arena to unleash whatever monster he'd have to battle, a piano tune began to drift through the air. It was recognizable. It was "What Dreams are Made Of", and coming out of the gate was Paolo. Behind Paolo was Ethan. Behind Ethan was Frankie Muniz, and behind him was Ronnie Jacobs, followed by Mr. Keith and Danny Kessler. They came out in their armor, glistening in the hot sun. They all began to sing (with, surprisingly, as much harmony as Boyz II Men, but this was a dream after all) and it created ear-splitting pain in Gordo's ears. He collapsed onto the ground as if it were nails against a chalkboard, covering his ears. Suddenly, he heard a voice. It was distant, but he could hear it. It was beautiful. He had it somewhere before. He looked up into the stands and saw sitting in the Imperial Box, a lovely Roman Empress. It was Lizzie – or Elizabella – and she was cheering for Gordo's competitors. Then she turned around and laughed at him.  
  
"You are nothing," she said to him. "You mean nothing. You let me slip away and now you are nothing but a footnote."  
  
And that's when Gordo woke up.  
  
_-You're the only one I'd be with till the end. When I come undone, you bring me back again... back under the stars... back into your arms-  
_  
The next morning, Lizzie woke up and felt better. She got up, put on her robe, and went downstairs for breakfast.  
  
"Hey sweetie," said her mom cheerfully when she came down. She shoved a plate in her hands. "Breakfast?"  
  
Lizzie smiled. "Yea." She sat down at the table across from Matt. Lanny had slept over. Lizzie began to eat when all of the sudden, Matt exclaimed, "Your right, Lanny! Good idea!" and they ran from the table.  
  
"How you sleep?" Jo asked, sitting down at the table.  
  
"Fine, I guess," Lizzie answered.  
  
"Well, that's good," she replied. "You seemed pretty upset last night. What did you and Gordo fight about anyway?"  
  
That's when Lizzie remembered everything and the blank screen disappeared.  
  
_-I don't want to fall to pieces. I just want to sit and stare at you. I don't want to talk about it-  
_  
After unenjoyed swallowing of bacon, sausage, ham, and cheese, Lizzie went back upstairs to get dressed and call Miranda. They decided to meet at – where else? – the Digital Bean and then hit the mall.  
  
As Lizzie got dressed, she wondered what Gordo was doing. She hoped Miranda hadn't called him. She was not ready to deal with. She did kind of want him to be there on her last day in America, but maybe if they weren't fighting, this wouldn't be her last day.  
  
_-I don't want a conversation. I just want to cry in front of you. I don't want to talk about it 'cause I'm in love with you-_  
  
When Lizzie got to the Digital Bean, Miranda was already there.  
  
"Hey," Lizzie called out when she saw her.  
  
"Hey," said Miranda. She paused for a second as Lizzie sat down next to her. "You okay?"  
  
Lizzie nodded. "I'm fine."  
  
Miranda just went, "Cool," and began playing with her hair. She knew what Lizzie didn't. Lizzie asked her not to pry, but she did anyway. She had called Gordo that morning and asked him why he had acted that way. She told him Lizzie was suspicious that there was something going on.  
  
So Gordo told her. He told her that he knew she would go on this tour and not care one wit about him when she got back.  
  
"That's not true," Miranda had said. "Lizzie would never forget her best friends."  
  
"Not you, Miranda," he had retaliated. "Me. Because I screwed up."  
  
He was about to hang up when Miranda added in, "You know she still has feelings for you."  
  
She could hear Gordo's breath stop on the other end.  
  
"Gordo?"  
  
"No," he said disbelievingly. "No. She feels nothing for me." And he hung up.  
  
_-Want to know who you are. Want to know where to start. I want to know what this means. Want to know how to feel. Want to know what is real. Want to know everything, everything-_  
  
Lizzie and Miranda ordered Shirley Temples (Lizzie highly recommended it) and shared an order of onion rings. They didn't touch on the matter of Gordo. They enjoyed their time together. Lizzie seemed fine, but her mind was scrambling. All she could think of was Gordo and their date. She truly wanted to forget about him and enjoy herself, but it was the hardest thing to do.  
  
_-I don't want to fall to pieces. I just want to sit and stare at you. I don't want to talk to talk about it. I don't want a conversation. I just want to cry in front of you. I don't want to talk about it 'cause I'm in love with you-_  
  
After they ate, the friends went to the movies. They obviously couldn't talk during the movie, but after, while they waited for a bus, Miranda decided to talk to Lizzie about the very delicate matter.  
  
But Lizzie got to it first.  
  
"Did you notice the director of the movie was Gilbert Moorberg?" she asked, turning her back to her friend.  
  
"No," said Miranda cautiously, not sure what she was getting at, "why?"  
  
Lizzie was really trying not cry. "He's Gordo's favorite director." She sniffled as quietly as possible. "He's always talking about his camera angles. He says that he uses the same fast-moving shots as the director of 'E.R.' He says that to put that into an action film on the big screen is..." She couldn't go on. She turned to Miranda and started crying hysterically on her shoulder.  
  
"I miss him so much!" she squeaked out. "I can't believe he's not here today! I mean, I'll be gone for the rest of the summer! I won't see him or you! I just miss him! I hate that we're not speaking!"  
  
"Calm down," said Miranda soothingly, rubbing her best friend's back. "It's okay. Do you miss his friendship..." She paused. "...or his love?"  
  
"Both," Lizzie answered. "He was one of the best friends anyone could ask for. He was such a caring guy, and he loved me! He loved me! And I pushed him away."  
  
_-I don't want to fall to pieces. I just want to sit and stare at you. I don't want to talk to talk about it. I don't want a conversation. I just want to cry in front of you. I don't want to talk about it 'cause I'm in love with you-_  
  
When Lizzie got home, she looked better. Miranda cleaned her up so her mom wouldn't noticed how much she had cried. She went upstairs and made sure she had packed everything she needed. She probably do a lot of shopping in Italy, of course. She picked up the phone. She wanted to call Gordo, btu she couldn't. He still had said things that had really hurt her feelings. Could she forgive him?  
  
Could her love for him pull them through?  
  
_-I'm in love with you. 'Cause I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you-_  
  
  
  
Hey everybody! Correct to a mistake I made in my note last chapter: I said there would be songs in the next few chapters. I left out the word sad. Sad songs is what I meant. Oopsy!  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
Goddess4LiFe 


	16. From the Bottom of my Broken Heart

A/N: I do not own the song "From the Bottom of my Broken Heart"

**NOTE: I AM NOT A BRTINEY SPEARS FAN. SHE JUST HAPPENS TO SING A LOT OF CORNY LOVE SONGS THAT FIT IN THIS STORY WELL.**

- - -

**Chapter Sixteen: From the Bottom of my Broken Heart**

- - -

By the next morning, Lizzie was packed and ready to go. She had to wake up at 2 a.m. Her flight was at 6. They'd land in Rome at who knows what time and meet Isabella at her "villa." Lizzie was excited, but she still felt horrible about the whole Gordo thing. So many times yesterday she had picked up the phone to call him, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.

At 3, the McGuires loaded up their car and headed for the airport. The whole ride there, all Lizzie could think about was the ride home where all she could concentrate on was how much she wished she was still in Rome. Now she was going back and she felt sick to her stomach.

After getting to the airport and going through all the tiring security checks, Lizzie and her mom went to get some breakfast. Jo knew something was definitely wrong. Her daughter would usually be much more excited than this.

"You ready for this tour?" she asked enthusiastically as they waited in line for bagels.

"Humph" was all that came out of Lizzie's mouth.

Jo sighed. "Okay, what's wrong?"

Lizzie picked a container of cream cheese out of a bucket of ice. "Nothing, really." Her mother looked at her disbelievingly. "I promise. I'm fine."

Jo didn't pry any further. Lizzie would cheer up when they got to Rome.

After getting their bagels, Lizzie and her mother went back to Sam and Matt and gave them their breakfast. As Lizzie sat down to eat hers, two young girls approached her and asked her for her autograph. They didn't have any paper so Lizzie signed two napkins.

"I'm so sorry about this," said their mother. "Their big sister brought them back Paolo & Isabella CDs from her trip to Italy so they had to watch the IMVAs and there you were."

"It's fine," Lizzie said with a smile. Her mother handed her a pen. "Who should I make these out to?"

"I'm Victoria," said the older one. "Victoria Marie Michaels."

Lizzie giggled as signed the napkin – as best she could – "VICTORIA, REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS! LOVE, LIZZIE".

"And who are you?" she asked the younger girl.

"Melody Claire Michaels," she answered in a tiny voice as she hid behind a giant pink teddy bear.

Lizzie signed the same thing for her.

"Thank you so much," said their mother. "What do you say girls?"

"Thank you," they said in unison.

Lizzie waved them goodbye and got back to her bagel. Her mother suggested she put on her sunglasses in case anyone else recognized her. She did.

Finally, they called their flight. Lizzie boarded the plane with a heavy heart and sat down next to Matt, who automatically shoved his video camera in her face. Lizzie sighed. This was a far cry form sitting next to Gordo. She wondered if he regretted the things he had said. This whole situation was so messy, too messy.

_-"Never go back" we said. How was I to know I'd miss you so? Loneliness up ahead, emptiness behind… where do I go?-_

The plane took off a half hour later. Lizzie didn't say anything. They showed "13 Going On 30". Lizzie didn't feel like watching. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but she couldn't. She kept thinking of that stupid Gordo. She had no idea she fallen for such a jerk, such a cute, funny, smart, nice, kind, wonderful jerk.

_-And you didn't hear all my joy through my tears, all my hopes through my fears. Did you know, I still miss you somehow?-_

She tried reading one of her summer reading books. Eleven books and she hadn't started one. She would never have time to read them all. Maybe she should take the record deal just to escape the reading she obviously couldn't complete. She pulled out "A Separate Piece" (A/N: my real summer reading book which I HATED) but after reading the first chapter, she put it down. It was really heavy and descriptive. Gordo probably would breeze right through it.

_-From the bottom of my broken heart; there's just a thing or two I'd like you to know. You were my first love, my true love. From the first kisses to the very last rose…-_

Lizzie didn't really want to think about it, but she wondered what Gordo was doing at that moment, making her heart ache.

"Get up, Gordo!" Miranda shouted into the phone. She had called her best bud and he hadn't picked up, even though she knew he was there. She knew her voice on the answering machine was blasting right into his ear.

"David Zephyr Gordon!" he screeched. "Get up and pick up the phone! It's Miranda, ya know, your best friend, if you can remember that far back! Pick up the phone!"

Despite having two pillows covering his ears, Miranda's incessant voice kept coming through. He threw the pillows down in frustration and picked up the phone. "WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLE WANT, MIRANDA?"

"Finally!" Miranda exclaimed. "My throat was starting to get scratchy."

Gordo rolled his eyes and collapsed onto his bed for the nine millionth time that morning. This was not what he needed right now. What he needed was right now was to crawl under a rock and die.

"How have you been holding up?" Miranda asked.

Gordo ran his fingers through his hair and sat up. "Let me put it to you this way: I felt better the day my parents told me they were getting divorced."

"Your parents aren't divorced," Miranda said in a confused tone.

"I know," Gordo replied. "I'm just imagining how bad that would be."

"You know, Gordo," Miranda said, trying to think of comforting words. "Maybe this is good. Maybe if Lizzie's not here, you'll have time to heal."

"If Lizzie was here," Gordo retaliated, "there would be no reason to heal."

Miranda huffed. "You're not helping, Gordo."

Gordo started pacing back and forth across his bedroom. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that… well, if you had screwed up with the person you care about one hundred times in a row, you wouldn't be able to see that the glass is half full either."

"Oh," said Miranda. "Sorry. I just wanted to help."

"I know you did."

Miranda thought for a second. "You want to come over to my house and watch a movie or something?"

Gordo sighed. "Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'd rather just be alone right now."

After the two friends hung up, Gordo decided to go out be with the three-dimensional people (A/N: From 'Friends', the episode where Joey and Chandler get their chairs… oh, who am I kidding?). He took a walk through Nosnibor Park (A/N: Not a real place, but it sounds awesome because it's Robinson spelled backwards). He tried not to think about Lizzie, but he knew right off the bat that that was impossible.

_-From the bottom of my broken heart. Even though time may find me somebody new, you were my real love; I never knew love till there was you. From the bottom of my broken heart-_

Gordo sat down on a bench and tried to clear his mind. It was a clear summer morning. To his left was the jungle gym where he and Lizzie used to play a lot when they were little. Memories came rushing back to him. They met Kate and Miranda there. That was where Lizzie first told Gordo and Miranda that she liked Ethan Craft. Gordo felt like hitting himself over the head with a brick thinking back on it. She didn't like Ethan anymore; she had liked him! The thing he had been waiting for for two years, and he had lost it.

_-"Baby," I said, "please stay. Give our love a chance for one more day." We could have worked things out. Taking time is what love's all about-_

The rest of Lizzie's day blew past her. She had gotten off her plane and arrived in Rome in what seemed like one second. Isabella met her at the airport.

"Lizzie!" she squealed when she saw her. The two hugged for a long time.

"You look fantastico!" Isabella beamed. She pushed a piece of hair behind her lookalike's ear. "You look as if you are in love!"

For one moment out of the day, Lizzie hadn't been thinking about David Gordon, but he popped up again.

_-But you put a dart through my dreams, through my heart. And I'm back where I started again. Never thought it would end-_

Almost immediately after arriving in Italy, Lizzie and her family were whisked to Isabella's villa in a limousine. It was in a secluded, elite section of Rome, far from the tourists and everything. Pulling up to the ancient estate, Lizzie's jaw dropped. It was the most gorgeous building she had ever seen before in her life.

Isabella emerged from the limo first. She turned to Lizzie when she got out.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Omigosh!" exclaimed Lizzie. "You live here?"

Isabella laughed. "Come! I must show you to your room! Giovanni will take your bags up."

Lizzie was given a full tour of the place. It was amazing. Frescos danced across the ceiling; the marble floors gleamed with golden cleanliness. Lizzie's room was breathtaking. It was four times the size of her and Matt's room combined, decorated with long velvet drapes and silver satin sheets. She even had her own balcony. After having a feast-like dinner and taking a bubblebath surrounded by sweet-smelling candles, she stood on the balcony, looking over the whole city. That was when her heart began to ache again.

_-From the bottom of my broken heart; there's just a thing or two I'd like you to know. You were my first love, my true love. From the first kisses to the very last rose. From the bottom of my broken heart. Even though time may find me somebody new, you were my real love; I never knew love till there was you. From the bottom of my broken heart-_

Gordo sat on his front steps, the noon day sun hot on his back. He looked up at the sky, it being the same shade of blue as Lizzie's eyes. On the other side of the globe, Lizzie still stood on the balcony, eyes glued to the night sky. Her heart was breaking. So was his.

_-You promised yourself but to somebody else and you made it so perfectly clear. Still I wish you were here-_

_>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>_

HEY EVERYONE!!! I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry bout the very long hiatus, but I was busy writing some other material, which could another long hiatus, but I decided to take a few hours out the day to write this extremely short, sucky chapter! It's very rushed, I know, but I just wanted to get it done. As a writer, I'm appalled that I even write that, but what can I say? I really want to finish this so I can write the sequel that will be so much better! Ooo, btw, there was more to the song (all repeated lines) but I thought it would look better ending it with that line.

NPR

Keep it Heavenly,

( Goddess4LiFe


	17. Follow You Down

A/N: I do not own the song "Follow You Down" by the Gin Blossoms.

- - -

**Chapter Seventeen: Follow You Down**

- - -

Two days after Lizzie left, Gordo's grandma had arrived to pick up her "favorite grandson". He was packed but he was anything but ready to go. He hadn't heard from Lizzie, but that was no surprise. Still, it hurt. He hated when they didn't talk. He felt like a chunk of him was missing. And that didn't even have anything to do with their romance. They weren't even friends anymore.

"David!!!" Ruth Gordon shouted when she entered her son's home that hot July afternoon, spotting Gordo and squeezing him.

"Hey Grams," he choked out.

She released him and began pinching his cheeks. "Oh, look at how handsome my David is! You look just like your grandfather when we first met." She planted a kiss on his forehead. "I think I'm falling in love all over again."

Gordo ignored the fact that he was creeped out and just smiled politely at his grandmother.

After having a quiet dinner (the Gordons, aside from Grandma Ruth, were really not a rambunctious bunch), Gordo went up to his room and gather a few last things together for his trip. They were leaving early in the morning because his grandma wanted to have breakfast at a "real roadside diner". He didn't know if they could find one off the PCH, but they were guaranteed a good time looking for one.

He grabbed his mini-iPod, one of his birthday presents. He only had five songs on it, but Lizzie had put them on there. The first one was "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. A very chick song, but Lizzie had insisted on listening to it on something as cool as an iPod. The second song was "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen. Lizzie thought that the song described Gordo to a tee, but he had no idea how. He was a big fan of the Boss, though, so he didn't mind. The third song was "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera. Another chick song, but it reminded him of Lizzie and how everyday, just by being her, she saved Gordo's life.

_-Did you see the sky? I think it means that we've been lost. Maybe one less time is all we need-_

The fourth song was "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra. It was old but it was definitely a favorite of his. Lizzie liked it, too.

"Isn't it just so romantic?" Lizzie had sighed when she played it on his computer.

It was a very romantic song. Everytime he heard it, he thought of that night at the spring dance when Lizzie and Miranda were his dates. Lizzie had looked so beautiful. She was always beautiful. Even as he was out on the dance floor with Parker McKenzie, he was pining for her. At that point, thought, he had figured 'I'll never get Lizzie. I might as well go for someone else.'

And then he got her. What he had wanted all along.

Now that was gone and so was the greatest friendship he'd ever have.

_-I can't really help if my tongue's all tied in knots. Jumping off a bridge, it's just the farthest that I've ever been-_

The last song was "Crazy For This Girl" by Evan and Jaron. When Lizzie played it for him, she said, "Just listen to the words. Listen to what this guy feels for this girl." She had mouthed along with the song: "When you look at her, she looks at me. She's got my thinking about her constantly but she don't know how I feel. And then she carries on without a doubt; I wonder if she's figured it out that I'm crazy for this girl. Yea, I'm crazy for this girl."

Never before had Gordo heard a song that clashed with reality so much. It was as if Gordo had written it. He had just stared at Lizzie, watching her dance happily to the music, wondering if she would ever know how he truly felt about her.

Gordo pulled his parents' Rod Stewart CD out of his stereo and put it in his computer. He plugged in his iPod and waited for it to download. Though the song made him sad, it made him happy, too. He just needed that song to be reminded of Lizzie McGuire, the love of his life, and think of what might have been and what was for a brief period of time.

'If only, if only,' repeated over and over again in his head.

And that's when he realized.

He couldn't just sit there and let his heart break anymore. He couldn't let Lizzie meet and fall in love with some phony popstar AGAIN. He couldn't just stand by and watch the life he had loved deteriorate.

He needed to go after her.

_-Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down. Any place but those I know by heart-_

Normal, logical Gordo would have just dismissed that thought. But this was not normal, logical Gordo. This was idiot Gordo, totally and completely in love. He missed Lizzie McGuire and wanted her back. Not just as a friend. Getting her love back was all that mattered to him right then and there.

He jumped out of his chair and was ready to race out of the room. Then normal, logical Gordo took over again for a second and reminded idiot Gordo that he couldn't just run over to her house. She was in Rome, thousands of miles away.

But idiot Gordo wasn't going to let that stop him.

_-Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down. I'll follow you down but not that far-_

Gordo ran out of his room and pounded down the steps. He didn't know what he was going to tell his grandmother, or his parents for that matter, but he couldn't wait for Lizzie to come home. By then it would be far too late.

He ran into the living room where his family all was.

"Why, David, what's the matter, son?" his mother asked in a concerned voice as she looked at her wide-eyed, out-of-breath son.

All Gordo could do was smile. He was always the guy who was sure of everything. In truth, all he had ever been truly sure of was Lizzie and how he felt about her. He was sure that if he didn't go to Rome and find Lizzie now, his whole world would be over.

"I have to go to Rome," he said in one breath. "I need to catch the next plane out of here."

His parents just stared at him like he was crazy (which is not good normally but REALLY not good if your parents are shrinks).

"Why do you need to go Rome, David?" his father asked him as if he was a patient. "Weren't you just there?"

"Yes," Gordo sighed. "But I have to go. I have to talk to Lizzie."

"Then call her," his mother said.

"I can't call her," Gordo replied, rolling his eyes.

"Well, son, you certainly can't go to Rome," his father said. "You can talk to Lizzie when she gets back."

"But it'll be too late by then!" he shouted. "I need to get there! I need to talk to her."

"Why?" his mother asked. "What is so important that you have to go all the way to Rome to tell her?"

Gordo didn't want to say it. He would have rather said that he was trying to flee the country. But the real reason was the only hope he had of going, even if it was a very small, thin, slice of hope.

"I'm in love with Lizzie," he blurted out. "I love her and I have to get her before someone else does."

_-I know we're headed somewhere; I can see how far we've come. Still I can't remember anything-_

The three elder Gordons just sat there, open-mouthed, staring at Gordo. No one spoke for a long time. Then, finally, Grandma Ruth was able to put together a sentence that could follow up Gordo's declaration.

"I'll call the airline."

Now it was Gordo's turn to be shocked. "What?"

His grandma stood up, smiling at him, and pinched his cheeks. "Hey kiddo, if you love this girl, there ain't no way a measly little ocean is gonna come between you."

Gordo smiled. He should have known that if anyone would go along with him on this, it would be his grandma (but remember, this was idiot Gordo controlling his mind at the moment).

Grandma Ruth shooed him towards the stairs. "Go get your bags, David. This is going to be an adventure."

Gordo did as he was told, heart soaring, while his grandmother went to the phone.

"Mother, what are you doing?" her son asked.

"Oh Howard," said Grandma Ruth. "I'm still taking him on a trip. Just to somewhere more exciting. I've never been to Italy before." Without any more regard to what her son was about to say, she picked up the phone and called information.

_-Let's not do the wrong and I'll swear it might be fun. It's a long way down when all the knots we've tied have come undone-_

Gordo and his grandma got a taxi to the airport. It was 6:15. The next flight to Rome left at 8:00. If they left then, they would make it through security in time. Gordo's parents had protested this trip, but his grandma, matron of the Gordon clan, would hear none of it and there was nothing stopping Gordo.

On the way to LAX, Gordo called Miranda.

"Hello?" she said when she picked up.

"Miranda, it's me," said Gordo. "I need to know where Lizzie's staying in Rome."

Miranda paused a moment. "Wait, why? What are you doing, Gordo? Not something stupid I hope."

Gordo laughed. "It's the stupidest thing I've ever done, but if I don't do it, I'll regret it the rest of my life. Where is she staying?"

"Um, at Isabella's house, some giant villa."

"Damn it," Gordo said. "How am I gonna find it?"

"Gordo," said Miranda cautiously. "Don't tell me you're going to Rome."

Gordo paused as they pulled into the airport parking lot. He took a deep breath.

"Miranda," he said. "I'm going to Rome."

_-Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down. Any place but those I know by heart. Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down. I'll follow you down but not that far-_

After going through all the security, Gordo started to get nervous. His heart started racing and his palms started sweating. It would be hours before he even saw Lizzie, but he already felt like he had swallowed his stomach. What would he say to her? "Hey Lizzie, it's me, your ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend. I just thought I'd dropped by to tell you that I love you and I'll never stop loving you. Wanna go out again?" Well, he could say that, but he would have to add, "Sorry I was such an ass."

At 7:30 they called the flight to Rome. As they boarded the terminal, Gordo said to himself, "Why am I doing this?"

His grandma kissed his cheek. "Because you're a romantic. I know these things. Your grandfather was like that, too. I remember once I went up to see Bandstand in Sacramento and he went all the way up there to surprise me."

"Well, this is going to be a pretty big surprise," he said.

His grandma patted his head. "C'mon David. There's a pretty blonde thing out there waiting for you."

_-How you gonna ever find your place running with an artificial pace? Are they gonna find us lying face down in the sand? So what the hell now, we've already been forever damned-_

The plane took off in the total darkness of the night. Gordo sat by the window as they soared into the vast, black oblivion. He could not BELIEVE he was doing this. Why was he doing this? What would Lizzie say when she saw him? Would she be pissed? Would she be happy? Would she be flattered? After all, he was going all the way to Rome for her. But when the last words someone says to you are "Get out of my life", you could get a number of reactions.

Normal, logical Gordo was the one asking all of these questions. Idiot Gordo told him to shut up. He was going to Rome.

And he was coming back with Lizzie.

_-Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down. Any place but those I know by heart. Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down. I'll follow you down but not that far-_

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hey everyone! One more chapter left! What did we all think of this chapter? I know what you're all thinking: Is Gordo going schizo? No. He just REALLY likes Lizzie. Are we all happy that he's going after her? If you answered yes to this question, you like idiot Gordo much better than normal, logical Gordo.

Keep it Heavenly,

( Goddess4LiFe


	18. Time After Time

A/N: I do not own the song "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper.

**_NOTE: Well, here it is, after many a request, the final chapter of "Matters of the Heart: Lizzie & Gordo". Yes, it is the end of their strange love story… for now. As I am sure many readers know, I am writing a sequel, which is almost a totally separate story completely, but it does go by the events of this story. Before I continue, I would like to thank my many reviewers, especially those who were patient with me. Thanks to: bandgeek4ever, lizzieygordo4ever, Mrs. Gyllenhaal, JoJoLookAlike1220, jwismysunnyday, selliefan16, loopylou1, and anyone else who I forgot!!!_**

And now, the final chapter…

- - -

**Chapter Eighteen: Time After Time**

- - -

The night of Lizzie's first dress rehearsal was brisk and breezy, accented with the scent of sauces and spices floating on the wind. Lizzie sat in her room at her antique vanity table, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her balcony doors were wide open, letting in the peaceful, motherly glow of the full moon. It looked the setting of a romantic fairytale: the doors open, letting in the moonlight, breezes playfully blowing the velvet drapes around. And there sat Lizzie, looking like a princess. Her blonde hair hung in loose curls over her bare shoulders. She was wearing a strapless emerald-colored dress that had been made just for her by Isabella's personal designers. Her make-up was flawless; it looked very natural, but her eyes stood out, accentuated by forest green eyeshadow and dark, dark mascara. Lizzie stared at herself in the mirror, looking into her own deep, penetrating eyes, and being relieved that for once she could be by herself and not be crying. Ever since she got to Rome, the minute her body knew that no one else was around, she wept like a baby. How was Gordo having this effect on her? He was just… Gordo. Just Gordo! Why was she acting like this? Now staring at the dolled-up, dry-eyed girl in the mirror and wishing she could smash her face, Lizzie asked herself that question over and over again.

_-Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you. Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new-_

Feeling exhausted from all the tears of days past, Lizzie stood up slowly and walked across the vast, elegant room to her bedside table. On it was a notepad with some scribbled song lyrics on it. Lizzie sat down on her bed and stared blankly at the words – words that she had penned – and felt so empty. The song was called "My Apology" and she had written it with the help of Isabella's songwriters. She had just needed help with the music. The words had come automatically.

**I'm sending out this S.O.S. Help me now; I'm in distress.**

**Drowning in your dark brown eyes, I never knew heartache came in such a beautiful disguise.**

**I always knew heaven sent its angels to meet up with poor young fools like me. But I never thought that I'd be so blessed to have an angel want to be with me. Now you're gone, babe, and now I know that heaven was smiling on me. But if you can hear me from wherever you are, I just want you to know that this is my apology.**

Before Lizzie could go on reading, there was a knock at the door.

"Um, come in," Lizzie shouted.

Jo McGuire poked her head in the door. "You almost ready?" she asked, smiling.

Lizzie nodded. As soon as her mom was gone, she sighed and fell back on her bed. She felt too tired to go through a whole grueling dress rehearsal. The day after she arrived they had regular rehearsal, and that had worn her out. But this would be hell. Costume changes, lighting tests, making sure everything was perfect. The kick-off show of the tour was in three days here in Rome. Lizzie felt very rushed. Usually, tours took months of planning and rehearsing. This one was fast. People all across Italy were eager to see Lizzie and Isabella perform together.

But Lizzie wanted to see Gordo.

_-Flashback – warm nights – almost left behind. Suitcases of memories, time after time-_

A cold breeze swept through the large room. Lizzie shivered and ran to close the balcony doors. But as she went to do so, she was distracted by the sights outside. Rome glittered in the night, the city looking as if it was a mirror of the sky that was sprinkled with golden-yellow stars. Lizzie sighed. Even looking at this incredible view, all she could think of was Gordo.

'He would love this,' she thought. 'He would think this is amazing.'

_-Sometimes you picture me. I'm walking too far ahead. You're calling to me. I can't hear what you've said-_

Lizzie was startled at the sudden grip of a warm hand on her shoulder. She jumped.

"Calm down, sorella (A/N: "sister")," Isabella said. "It's just me."

Lizzie smiled at her. "Sorry. You scared me for a second."

Isabella rested her arms on the balcony railing and looked out over the same magnificent view.

"Esso mai cambiamenti," she whispered.

"Huh?" Lizzie said.

Isabella sighed. "It never changes." She turned to Lizzie, her face glowing against the scene behind her. "You know, Lizzie, wars can turn cities into dust, and time can turn buildings into stone, but the essence of the city stays the same. Rome has always been the same, no matter what you do to it on the outside." She paused for a moment and grinned at Lizzie all-knowingly. "Cities are like people that way."

Lizzie was silent for a moment. She waited for her Italian counterpart to say more, but she just stole one more glance at the view, sniffed the air, and turned to leave.

The air suddenly felt light. The silence was broken by the sound of an airplane piercing through the dark sky. Memories filtered into her mind all too quickly and she ran from the room, closing the doors behind her.

_-What you've said, then you say, "Go slow." I fall behind. The second hand unwinds-_

In the limo on the way to rehearsal, Lizzie was silent. Isabella was speaking Italian to her agent on her cell phone. The scenes of the city blurred past them. Lizzie thought she was maybe going crazy, but every blur looked like Gordo's face. The sound of cars honking inside her head was his absent laugh. She thought she might cry again, but she held it in.

'Maybe I'll call him tonight,' she thought. She rubbed her head miserably. 'He probably won't ever speak to me again.'

Lizzie didn't know it, but as that very thought ran through her brain, Gordo was getting off of an airplane.

_-If you're lost, you can look at you will find me time after time. If you fall, I will catch you. I'll be waiting time after time-_

"How can we find her, Grandma?" Gordo said to Ruth Gordon as they rushed through the airport.

"Think, honey," she said as she grabbed pamphlet after pamphlet from racks as they passed them. "Miranda said that she's staying at Isabella's villa."

"Yea, but we don't know where that is," said normal, logical Gordo. "Besides, even if we did, we couldn't walk right up to the front gates and say, 'Yes, we're here to see Lizzie McGuire.'"

Ruth patted her grandson's head. "Honey buns, calm down. We'll find her." She shuffled through her pamphlets. "I'm sure that there's something in here about the tour."

Gordo sighed. His patience was wearing thin. He wanted to see Lizzie _now_. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was and how much he loved her. Didn't that show? He came all the way to Rome to win her back. He looked up at the ceiling, praying to God for a sign.

"I cannot believe we're going to see Isabella's dress rehearsal!" an Australian girl standing next to Gordo suddenly squealed. "Seeing the concert is one thing, but the rehearsal will be so much more intimate! Maybe we'll get to talk to her! Or the other girl, Lizzie!"

Gordo's heart froze in his chest. He couldn't even believe his ears. He slowly turned to face the girl who had just said those life-saving words. She and a group of others were walking in the direction of the exit. Gordo ran to catch up with them, but not before mouthing "Thank you" up to the heavens.

_-After my picture fades and the darkness has turned to gray, watching through windows, you're wondering if I'm okay-_

Before the actual rehearsal began, Isabella had to go over a lot of things with stage crew and the dancers. And just when they were about to begin, Isabella's agent, Gianfranco Colloquio, showed up and they argued for another half hour. Lizzie just stood around, soaking in everything about the stage. Her mind really began to wander. She looked at the stage from all directiosn. From the back row, the stage seemed funny because when you think about it, the stage is just a big display case. Everyone is just watching what's going on on this big platform, specifically there to put people on display. Upon realizing this, Lizzie suddenly became very nervous. Her heart hummed and her palms began to sweat. She felt like she was going to throw up. She needed Gordo there to make her feel better, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. She looked around for him, even though she knew he wasn't there. That only made her more nervous.

_-Secrets stolen from deep inside. The drum beats out of time-_

"Taxi!" Ruth Gordon shouted from the side of the road, waving her hands in the air. "Taxi! Taxi!" She turned to Gordo. "What's the Italian word for taxi?"

Gordo huffed. He pulled a crisp twenty out of his pocket and waved it up in the air. Within moments, one of the speeding cars going by quickly swerved to the side. The driver poked his head out of the window.

"Where can I take you nice people?"

Gordo threw his bags in the trunk and slid into the backseat of the cab, his grandma right behind him.

"The Centro di Intrattenimento," Gordo told the driver. "And step on it." (A/N: Not a real place. It means 'entertainment center'.)

"Ooh, this is so exciting," Ruth said as the cab sped off down the street. "This is much better than any roadside diner."

Gordo only nodded. His eyes were glued to the zooming lights of traffic in the dark night. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart in his ears.

_-If you're lost, you can look at you will find me time after time. If you fall, I will catch you. I'll be waiting time after time-_

Lizzie was peaking around the wings of the stage when Isabella suddenly popped through the stage door.

"Sorry about that," she said. "We are ready to begin. Are you?"

Lizzie nodded, still nervous.

"Good," Isabella said with a smile. "You're up first."

"What?" Lizzie shouted. "I thought my song was, like, one of the last ones!"

"It is," Isabella replied as she put a headset on Lizzie, "but they want to run through it once before we do the show from the top. Besides, I feel horrible. You've been standing around for almost an hour!"

Lizzie was about to protest when suddenly the stage manager said through a microphone, "Lizzie, you're up."

"Lizzie, go!" Isabella said, pushing her onto the stage. Lizzie suddenly found herself under one hot spotlight. The music began. It felt like graduation all over again.

_-You said go, "Go slow." I fall behind. The second hand unwinds-_

Gordo paid the taxi driver (even though all he had was American money) and hopped out of the cab the second they came to a stop in front of the gigantic hall.

"David, honey, I'll get the bags," his grandmother said to him. "You just go and find Lizzie."

Gordo smiled. "Thanks for everything, grandma."

She kissed his forehead. "Go get her."

Idiot Gordo in control of his mind and body once again, Gordo raced through the front door. The lobby was completely empty except for two huge security guards standing in front of the stage doors. They eyed him as he walked across the room.

'Uh oh,' Gordo thought. 'Didn't think of this.'

"Scusi," one of them said to Gordo. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I'm just here to see Lizzie McGuire," Gordo replied. "I'm a friend of hers, David Gordon."

The other guy shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't care if you're the Pope. No pass, no go."

'Damn it,' Gordo thought. 'What do I do now? King of Norway joke? God, who am I kidding?'

"What's going on here?" came a voice behind Gordo.

He spun around. It was the Australian girl from the airport with her friends. Around there necks were laminated passes with a picture of Lizzie and Isabella on them.

"Ah, Miss Walker," said the first guard. "We have been waiting for you." He opened the door slightly. "Come on in, you and your guests."

The girl ignored the guard. She sauntered over to Gordo.

"You're the boy from the airport," she said. "You're the one that asked me where the rehearsal was."

Gordo nodded.

"A.J.," one of her friends piped up, "that's the guy that's dating Lizzie McGuire. Remember? We read about him in all those magazines."

A.J. looked at Gordo and cocked her head to the side. "Oh, that's where I know your face from! You're David Gordon!"

Gordo could not believe his luck. "Yes!" he shouted. "I came here to see Lizzie!"

"And you can't get into the auditorium," she said.

"Not without one of those," he said, pointing to her pass.

"Huh," said A.J. "That is a problem." Suddenly, she grinned at him. "Why don't you come in with us?"

"What?" Gordo said.

"I won't take no for an answer," she said.

"Okay," said Gordo, feeling so happy. "But I'm with my grandma."

"No problem," said A.J. She turned to the guards. "Please let Mr. Gordon and his grandmother into the rehearsal."

"Yes, Miss Walker," the guards said in unison.

"Thanks!" Gordo shouted. "How do you have this type of power?"

"My dad is the Australian ambassador to Italy," A.J. answered. She and her friends began through the doors, whispering and giggling. "C'mon, David!" she said, pulling him into the room.

The moment Gordo stepped into the auditorium, music began playing. The room was dark except for one lone spotlight shining down on a figure on the stage. Gordo's mouth fell to the floor. It was Lizzie. He always knew she was an angel, but now she looked like one.

Lizzie stood on the stage, afraid to open her mouth. 'Okay, just count to five and sing. One, two, three, four, five…'

She began to sing. The words escaped her mind right before she opened her mouth, but then she remembered them. She closed her eyes and imagined that Gordo was there, watching her. It only made her feel better because this song _was_ her apology to him. She wished he could hear her.

Just the sound of Lizzie's voice made Gordo's heart soar. He felt paralyzed. He felt like he was dying. Seeing her, hearing her beautiful voice (A/N: I personally don't think that Hilary Duff can sing for crap, but I'll lie on behalf of Gordo's conscience) made him want to shout at the top of his lungs how sorry he was.

Just as she was finishing up the chorus and getting ready to move on to the second verse, Lizzie thought she saw someone walking down the center aisle, but it was hard to tell because of the light in her eyes. She continued to sing as the figure came closer and closer.

"When you pull me close to dance, life's nothing but your undying romance. You taught me so many amazing things. When I couldn't fly, you gave me your wings."

Suddenly, Lizzie could see it. Gordo's face. She thought maybe she was just seeing things (after all, she missed him a lot), but he walked all the way up to the front row and sat down in a chair, his mouth gapping, just staring up at her.

Lizzie just froze. Isabella whispered to her from the wing, "Lizzie! Keep singing!" Her mouth hung open. She just stared at Gordo. So there they were, two idiots staring at each with open mouths.

The music stopped. "Lizzie, what are you doing?" the stage manager called.

She got back to reality long enough to say into her mic, "Gimme five, Antonio, okay?" Without waiting for his reply, shehopped down off of the stage and walked over to Gordo. He stood up. They were face-to-face. For what seemed like forever, they stood there as if they couldn't believe the other one was in front of them.

Suddenly, Lizzie burst into tears and threw her arms around Gordo. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. Once Gordo got over the shock of the moment, he wrapped his arms around her as well. He patted her hair and held her tightly, almost as if to see if see was real. And she was. They stood there, locked in a long-awaited embrace, apologizing without saying anything.

_-If you're lost, you can look at you will find me time after time. If you fall, I will catch you. I'll be waiting time after time-_

Lizzie pulled her head back. "Oh Gordo, I missed you so much!"

He pushed her hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear.

"I missed you, too," he whispered. He held her closer. "I just came all this way to tell you that I am so sorry. I was a total and complete jerk. I should have respected your feelings and –"

He was cut off as Lizzie pressed her lips to his.

'Just as I remember,' she thought happily.

_-Time after time… time after time… time after time-_


End file.
